Hjulmand demands Leverkusen fly out the blocks against Union

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand demanded that his side start strong when they host Union Berlin in Saturday's Bundesliga meeting.

Hjulmand has enjoyed a steady start after replacing Erik ten Hag, picking up two wins and three draws in his first five matches across all competitions.

His side sit seventh in the German top-flight heading into the weekend's action, where Hjulmand wants his players to come racing out of the blocks.

"It's very important, first of all, for me and for the team to keep the mentality behind all our minutes played, to be proactive," he said at Friday's pre-match press conference.

"It's very important that we are on the front foot in every minute of the game."

In fact, Leverkusen have taken the lead in all five of their Bundesliga matches this season, as have Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. 

However, they have also dropped the most points from winning positions in the league (seven).

"Of course, we have to defend very low and tough sometimes, but it should always be with the intention that, right after this struggle, we will have a possibility to score the next goal somehow," Hjulmand added.

Union are four places below Saturday's hosts in the Bundesliga table, having been held to a goalless draw by 10-man Hamburger SV in their last outing.

"I wasn't happy with the result last week, and there are things that need to be improved upon," Union head coach Steffen Baumgart said.

"I've been over it with the team. They will apply what they've worked on. Looking forward, Leverkusen are, of course, a very good team."

"It's an exciting job, an exciting challenge for us. My job to be clear in my instructions. The team won't be lacking motivation."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bayer Leverkusen – Christian Kofane

Christian Kofane will be expected to lead the line, with Patrik Schick still sidelined by a thigh injury that will keep him on the sidelines throughout this month.

The Cameroonian proved a capable deputy to Schick on Wednesday, scoring in Leverkusen's 1-1 draw against PSV in the Champions League.

Union Berlin – Ilyas Ansah

Ilyas Ansah has been the standout attacker for Union this season, scoring on four occasions.

The Germany Under-21 international scored in back-to-back games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim last month, but failed to find the target in his last clash with a resilient Hamburg defence.

MATCH PREDICTION – BAYER LEVERKUSEN WIN

Leverkusen will fancy their chances on Saturday, given their strong head-to-head record against the visitors.

Indeed, Leverkusen have lost just one of their 12 Bundesliga meetings with Union (W7 D4) – a 1-0 away defeat in January 2021.

They are unbeaten in all six of their home Bundesliga matches against Union (W3 D3), conceding just three goals in those games.

However, Union have lost only three of their last 15 Bundesliga matches (W6 D6 L3), the same form as their upcoming opponent. 

The away side have also suffered defeat in just two of their last nine Bundesliga games on the road (W5 D2), having previously fallen to six consecutive away defeats in the competition.

Continuing that run here will be tough, though, considering Leverkusen are unbeaten in each of their last four Bundesliga matches (W2 D2), with only Borussia Dortmund (13 games) and Bayern Munich (14) currently on a longer such run in the competition.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bayer Leverkusen – 54.3%

Union Berlin – 22.4%

Draw – 23.3%