Bayer Leverkusen are in the driving seat in the race for a top-four Bundesliga finish but must start again "from zero" against rivals Stuttgart on Saturday, says Kasper Hjulmand.

Leverkusen are fourth in the Bundesliga table with two matches remaining, with a home game against Hamburger SV to come after their trip to MHPArena.

Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are both level on points with Hjulmand's team, albeit with inferior goal difference figures, and the midweek results in Europe confirmed Germany will not get a fifth Champions League qualification place for next season.

That is after Bayern Munich lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals, with Spain joining England in clinching a fifth spot after Rayo Vallecano progressed to the Conference League showpiece.  

Leverkusen have won four of their last five league games to put themselves in pole position, but Hjulmand says that will not matter if they fall short on Saturday.

"We've had a very good week with a lot of anticipation for this next assignment," Hjulmand told reporters on Friday. 

"Obviously the mood is positive and the confidence is there. We want to take the push from the last game to Stuttgart. But it starts from zero again on Saturday.

"It's didn't look as positive a few weeks ago, but we've had good results. That's put us in a good position and now we want to capitalise.

"We need to play with concentration and mental strength. They've had a very good season, they've picked up a lot of points and are also in the cup final. They press heavily man-to-man, we know that. We're ready for the challenge."

Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness also talked up the importance of the game, particularly after his team drew 3-3 with Hoffenheim, their other direct rivals, last week.

"It's a home game where there's a huge amount at stake," said Hoeness. "The players had a good week in training and showed plenty of energy. 

"I'm confident that, with the support of our fans, we'll get off to a really good start in the game.

"We'll have to be willing to push ourselves to the absolute limit. Leverkusen are a team that want to play football and they've got superb individual players in their ranks."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stuttgart – Chris Fuhrich 

Fuhrich has scored three goals in his last four Bundesliga matches – as many as in his previous 20 league appearances combined – and with seven goals this season, he is just one away from his personal best of eight, set in 2023-24. 

He has also found a team-mate with 44% of his open-play crosses this Bundesliga season, the best rate of any player with at least 25 attempts.

Bayer Leverkusen – Patrik Schick 

Schick has scored nine goals in his last six Bundesliga matches – more than in his first 20 appearances of the season combined (seven) and more than any other player in the league since matchday 27. 

Only Harry Kane (33) and Deniz Undav (18) have scored more goals this season. In addition, three of Schick's four Bundesliga goals against Stuttgart have come away from home.

MATCH PREDICTION – STUTTGART WIN

Stuttgart have won only one of their last 16 matches in all competitions against Leverkusen (D6 L9), though that was their most recent meeting, a 4-1 victory in the Bundesliga. 

At home, however, Stuttgart are winless in their last 13 Bundesliga games against Leverkusen (D5 L8, last win 2-1 in April 2010). 

They have never had a longer winless run against any opponent in the top flight (also 13 games against Bayern Munich from 2008 to 2023).

Leverkusen have won four of their last five Bundesliga matches (L1), the joint-best record in the league in that span, alongside Bayern and RB Leipzig. 

Stuttgart, on the other hand, have won only one of their last five Bundesliga matches – a 4-0 home victory against HSV in early April – and have since gone three games without a win (D2 L1). 

But Stuttgart's 36 points won at home in the Bundesliga this season are the third-most in the division, after Bayern (41) and Borussia Dortmund (38), and Opta's predictive model makes them narrow favourites on their own turf.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Stuttgart – 42.8%

Bayer Leverkusen – 33.4%

Draw – 23.8%