Matarazzo: "The opportunity to make a statement"
Pellegrino Matarazzo on…
…still-unbeaten Leverkusen: "Their streak is incredible. 38 competitive games without defeat says it all. We played well in the reverse fixture and had a chance to win. We allowed Leverkusen only nine shots at goal and scored two goals ourselves. But we will also need repeated spells of possession and then we can create chances for ourselves too."
…the appeal of ending the run: "The opportunity to make a statement is always appealing. This would be one."
…the high number of goals conceded: "As a coach, you never question the quality during the season. We have enough quality in the squad to defend. There have been games in which we've performed well defensively. But we need to do it consistently. We'll need to do that in both halves against Leverkusen. It certainly doesn't help that we've often had to replace players in defence."
…the international window: "The match against Stuttgart hurt, we needed several days in order to process it. We used the time to set individual focus points. The lads who were here pitched in very well. The U23 players who trained with us also made a good impression. The rest of the international players are coming back today and I'm delighted to have the whole group back here. I did of course watch the games and had the analysts put together individual clips for me."
…Tim Drexler: "Tim has been with the national team in recent weeks. He's fit and I think he played a good game against Stuttgart. He's obviously an option for the starting line-up."
…the DFB debut of Maximilian Beier, which did not materialise: "Maxi is not disappointed at all, he's brimming with happiness. He was playing for Hannover in the 2. Bundesliga last season and now he's with the national team. He wants to step on the gas on Saturday, the rest will come naturally."
…the objective for the remainder of the season: "The objective is very clear: to play to our maximum and perform well consistently. We are of course looking at the table going into the final eight games. Sixth place is no longer in our own hands, so we want to reclaim seventh place. We're going to give that everything we've got."
The personnel situation:
The suspended John Anthony Brooks will be joined on the sidelines by Mergim Berisha and Marco John, who are both, however, on the right track, according to Matarazzo. Florian Grillitsch has a health issue but could still be an option for the match. Ozan Kabak is available again following his suspension. Grischa Prömel and Dennis Geiger have been able to complete almost all elements of team training over the last fortnight and are options for the squad again.
The opposition's form:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen are still unbeaten in all competitions at the end of March – Xabi Alonso's team are on an impressive run of 38 competitive games in a row without defeat. With a 10-point lead over FC Bayern, the Rhineland outfit are the heavy favourites for the league title.
The head-to-head record:
The overall record is clearly in Leverkusen's favour. The Werkself have won 18 of their 31 Bundesliga meetings, while TSG have been victorious seven times. However, Leverkusen have won just one of the last seven clashes at the BayArena. TSG clearly came out on top in the most recent match-up in Leverkusen – Hoffenheim claimed a 3-0 victory in August 2022.