Kasper Hjulmand said fire, focus and intensity would be key in Bayer Leverkusen's final four Bundesliga matches in their quest to secure Champions League football next season.

Leverkusen are two points adrift of the Champions League places ahead of welcoming RB Leipzig, who are third in the table, to the BayArena this Saturday.

Should Ole Werner's side make it six wins in a row in the top flight, they will secure their spot in UEFA's flagship competition for the seventh consecutive campaign. 

But Leverkusen will be out to improve their own Champions League hopes, though a spot in Europe is already confirmed after building a 12-point gap to seventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, but the competition they will be competing in is yet to be determined. 

The Opta supercomputer has assigned them a 23.4% chance of finishing in the top four, which rises to 59.3% if the Bundesliga can secure a fifth Champions League spot, though their most likely to end up sixth (40.7%) in its season simulations. 

"We have three games left to achieve our Champions League target," Hjulmand told reporters.

"We all have a shared responsibility for the fire, the focus and the intensity on the pitch.

"Whether it's for one minute or 90, we have to go all out and give our best for ourselves, the club and the fans. And do it every day, in games and training sessions."

Leverkusen followed up their semi-final exit in the DFB-Pokal against Bayern Munich by beating Koln 2-1 away from home, with Patrik Schick's quickfire brace the difference. 

However, it is during the 'Topspiel' matches, which translates to an evening kick-off, that they have struggled, losing three of those matches under Hjulmand (W2 D1). 

That is more defeats than in their previous 18 such encounters under Xabi Alonso, Gerardo Seoane, and Hannes Wolf combined (W11 D5 L2). 

Leverkusen also lost their only previous 'Topspiel' clash at home against Leipzig, a 2-3 defeat in August 2024.

"We have a philosophy," Hjulmand said when asked about what he wants to see from his Leverkusen players in the later kick-off. 

"Before the tactical and match content, it is always important to me that the players show the right mentality, body language, intensity and sharpness. Those are the basics.

"That always has to be there. And then there are tactical options in the game."

But Hjulmand was wary of the threat Leipzig possess given their recent run of form, though he remained focused solely on his own team.

"Leipzig are in good form," the Leverkusen boss added. "They're a great team who are fast in transition and play good football.

"But our aim, as always, is to play our own game. It will be an open game, a close game."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick

Schick recently reached 100 goals in all competitions for Leverkusen and has scored six times in his last five Bundesliga appearances – more than any other player since the start of matchday 27.

He made his Bundesliga debut at the BayArena in October 2019, but for opponents RB Leipzig, for whom he scored 10 goals in 22 appearances during the 2019-20 season, before moving to Leverkusen.

RB Leipzig – Yan Diomande

Diomande has been involved in 19 goals in the Bundesliga this season (12 goals, seven assists) – among teenagers in the top five European leagues, only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (27) has more.

He has also completed the most take-ons in the Bundesliga this season (196) and could become the first Leipzig player to reach 200 in a single campaign.

MATCH PREDICTION: BAYER LEVERKUSEN WIN

Leverkusen have won four of their last six Bundesliga meetings with Leipzig, collecting 13 of a possible 18 points (D1 L1). This is twice as many victories as the Werkself managed in their first 13 top-flight encounters against them (W2 D4 L7).

Hjulmand's side are also unbeaten in eight of their last nine top-flight matches (W4 D4), with their only defeat in that period coming in their last home game, a 1-2 loss against Augsburg. The last time they suffered consecutive home defeats within a single Bundesliga season was between January and February 2023 under Xabi Alonso (L2).

And their fast starts have helped that run. Leverkusen have scored 10 goals in the opening 15 minutes of Bundesliga matches this season, the most in the league. However, Leipzig are the only team yet to concede in the first 15 minutes of a game in the competition in 2025-26. 

Leipzig are also on a five-game winning streak in the Bundesliga – the joint-longest active run in the league alongside Bayern. The last time they achieved this was almost three years ago, when they also won five consecutive matches under Marco Rose during the final five matchdays of the 2022-23 season.

Werner's men have lost only one of their last 11 Bundesliga matches (W8 D2), collecting 26 of a possible 33 points – only Bayern have earned more (31).

Their 19 wins this season equal their club record after 31 matches, while they have only had more than their current 62 points at this stage of a Bundesliga campaign three times, most recently in 2020-21 (64).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bayer Leverkusen – 43.1%

Draw – 23.8%

RB Leipzig – 33.1%