Martinez seeks Leverkusen response against Koln
Carles Martinez knows a big performance from Bayer Leverkusen is needed to beat rival FC Koln and get over the frustration of a midweek defeat in the UEFA Europa League.
Leverkusen returns to Bundesliga action aiming to return to winning ways after managing just one victory in its past four matches across all competitions.
Martinez watched on as his team suffered its first defeat in the UEFA Europa League this season in midweek, with Amine Gouiri's late stunner earning Marseille a 1-0 victory.
Despite the defeat, Leverkusen remains inside the top eight of the 36-team standings, but its attention now turns to the Bundesliga ahead of the international break.
Leverkusen is sixth on the table and already five points adrift of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund after a 4-2 defeat to Stuttgart in its most recent Bundesliga outing.
This will be the first time Martinez has experienced this rivalry, and he was under no illusions as to what a win would mean not only for the team, but the supporters as well.
"Obviously we're still frustrated about Thursday, but our focus is now fully on Sunday [Monday AEDT]," Martinez said.
"I've spoken to people in the club to find out how these games between Leverkusen and Koln feel. We all know the significance of this meeting.
"We want to and must give our maximum to get three points."
But Martinez has had to deal with several injury absentees, with the likes of Nathan Tella, Martin Terrier, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Moussa Diaby all unavailable for Leverkusen.
That has seen the attacking emphasis placed on the shoulders of 30-year-old Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza, with the latter enjoying a strong start to the campaign so far.
Maza recently scored his third goal of the Bundesliga season, equalling his tally from the previous campaign.
Martinez conceded his team was tired, but he insisted that was no excuse for the performances of recent weeks.
"I don't want to talk too much about the physical condition. But we weren't up to par. Not even mentally," Martinez added. "We didn't have enough energy on the pitch."
