Kasper Hjulmand urged his Bayer Leverkusen team to play with commitment and mentality ahead of their Bundesliga clash with Koln in Saturday's Rhine Derby. 

Leverkusen return to Bundesliga action following their semi-final exit from the DFB-Pokal in midweek, with Harry Kane and Luis Diaz on target in a 2-0 win for Bayern Munich.

The Werkself are sixth in the top flight with four games of their season remaining, which would only be good enough to qualify for the Conference League in 2026-27.

Hjulmand's side are assigned a 16.3% chance of finishing in the Champions League places by the Opta supercomputer, though they are most likely to end up sixth (52%). 

Ahead of their trip to RheinEnergieSTADION, Hjulmand delivered an impassioned plea for his team to end the campaign strongly, starting with a positive result against their rivals.

"Saturday afternoon, a derby, of great significance for both teams. We're looking forward to this important game for everyone," Hjulmand told reporters.

But they come up against a Koln side who have hit form at the right time, which could be down to a change of management after Lukas Kwasniok was sacked last month. 

Wagner has not lost any of his first three league matches (W1 D2). Only Peter Stoger in 2014-15 was unbeaten in his first four matches in charge of Koln this millennium.

Under Wagner, Koln have also averaged 17 shots per top-flight game, compared to 13 shots on average under his predecessor Kwasniok.

"Koln haven't lost in five games and are in good form. But we know what to expect, and we're ready," Hjulmand added. 

"Of course, it's not just about the playing component. It's also about commitment and mentality. It's important to combine emotion, structure and control."

Hjulmand revealed that he would be without Arthur, Martin Terrier and Christian Kofane, with the trio unable to travel with the squad due to injury. 

Lucas Vazquez also went off injured during their defeat to Bayern, though Hjulmand remained optimistic that the experienced Spaniard would be fit enough to feature. 

"They will most probably not be available. He [Vazquez] is undergoing final checks today," Hjulmand said. 

"The team and everyone here know how important this derby is. We now have four games left, and we'll do everything we can to win them."

Koln will, however, not make things easy. They are six points above the relegation play-off spot, and a win here would go a long way to cementing their top-flight status. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Koln – Jakub Kaminski

Koln have been indebted to the performances of Kaminski throughout a difficult campaign, and they will be hoping he can deliver for them once again here. 

Kaminski has 10 goal involvements (seven goals, three assists) in the Bundesliga this season, a total only Said El Mala (14) and Ragnar Ache (11) can better for Koln. In addition, no player has created more chances for the club than the midfielder's 48. 

Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick

Schick recently scored his 11th goal this Bundesliga season, making him Leverkusen's top scorer. It was his fourth headed league goal this Bundesliga term, a tally only bettered by Borussia Monchengladbach's Haris Tabakovic (five).

And that could spell trouble for Koln, given they have conceded 10 headed goals in the top-flight this season, with only three teams conceding more across the league (11 each).

MATCH PREDICTION: BAYER LEVERKUSEN WIN

Leverkusen have won their last four competitive matches against Koln. The Werkself previously only managed a longer winning streak in this derby between 2004 and 2009 (six).

They have also kept a clean sheet in their last three Bundesliga encounters against this weekend's opponents, a longer run than against any other current top-flight opponent.

Hjulmand's side have also not lost any of their last 18 Bundesliga matches against promoted sides (W14 D4). Only RB Leipzig have a longer such streak across the league (40; Eintracht Frankfurt also 18). 

Leverkusen are unbeaten in four away league matches for the first time this term (W2 D2; most recently 1-0 at Dortmund). However, the Werkself have only managed consecutive away wins once this season, which came in their first two Bundesliga away games under Hjulmand between September and October.

But after Bundesliga champions Bayern (11), Koln are currently the longest unbeaten team in the top flight (five – W1 D4). They last went this long without defeat in the division at the start of 2023 (also five) and for a longer run between December 2016 and February 2017 (six).

And Leverkusen will have to make sure they remain switched on to the end. Koln have already scored 18 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this Bundesliga season (level with Dortmund), with only Bayern (31) and Stuttgart (21) scoring more.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Koln – 27.9%

Draw – 23.9%

Bayer Leverkusen – 48.2%