With a cool head and lots of passion, Bayer Leverkusen are looking to qualify from their Champions League group as winners at the second time of asking and for the first time since the 2004/05 season. “We are first and we want to stay there. And on top of that, it’s also about pocketing a few extra euros,” said Bayer 04 sporting director Rudi Voeller, as he formulated a clear mission for Bayer Leverkusen in their final group game on Tuesday against the Portuguese league leaders Benfica.
But despite having already secured their place in the last 16, the 1 million euro bonus is anything but the main focus ahead of Tuesday's game: “Last season, all of the runners-up failed to progress from the last 16. That shows how valuable a first-place finish can be, as you have the chance of possibly playing an easier opponent in the knockouts, not to mention the fact that you have home advantage in the second leg. We now have a second opportunity to secure top spot and we want to put everything into doing that,” said chief executive Michael Schade.
Schmidt: "We all want to have fun and be happy"
"We all want to have fun and be happy but we will tackle our task with the necessary seriousness," said coach Roger Schmidt. Bayer 04 will be forced to play without vice-captain Lars Bender in the Portuguese capital after the midfielder aggravated an abdominal muscle injury during his side’s 1-0 loss to Bundesliga leaders Bayern München. Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt will go into the game without the Germany international, as he has one eye on the big match against Borussia Mönchengladbach this coming Sunday. The 25-year-old will more than likely be replaced by captain Simon Rolfes, who last weekend surprisingly announced that he is to retire at the end of the season.
Bayer 04 want to be group winners
However, before he retires, Rolfes, who flew out straight from Munich to Lisbon on Saturday, will want to show his class on the European stage one more time: “We want to stay at the top of the group and then we will see what happens,” said the 32-year-old with a wink. To make sure that the team’s last outing this year ends successfully, Bayer 04 must go up a gear, something they failed to do in their 1-0 loss to Monaco in their penultimate Champions League game and their defeat at Bayern: “What do we need to do differently in Lisbon? Get a goal,” said Ömer Toprak dryly and straight to the point.
However, his coach also knows and has been warned after the two 1-0 losses to Monaco. The coach will also not let himself be blinded by the fact they beat the Portuguese team, who are bottom of the group, 3-1 in their home game, as Benfica have won their last six home games in a row while only conceding two goals: “Of course we want to secure the top spot at the second time of asking but we know that anything can happen in football.”
With a cool head and lots of passion, Bayer Leverkusen are looking to qualify from their Champions League group as winners at the second time of asking and for the first time since the 2004/05 season. “We are first and we want to stay there. And on top of that, it’s also about pocketing a few extra euros,” said Bayer 04 sporting director Rudi Voeller, as he formulated a clear mission for Bayer Leverkusen in their final group game on Tuesday against the Portuguese league leaders Benfica.
But despite having already secured their place in the last 16, the 1 million euro bonus is anything but the main focus ahead of Tuesday's game: “Last season, all of the runners-up failed to progress from the last 16. That shows how valuable a first-place finish can be, as you have the chance of possibly playing an easier opponent in the knockouts, not to mention the fact that you have home advantage in the second leg. We now have a second opportunity to secure top spot and we want to put everything into doing that,” said chief executive Michael Schade.
Schmidt: "We all want to have fun and be happy"
"We all want to have fun and be happy but we will tackle our task with the necessary seriousness," said coach Roger Schmidt. Bayer 04 will be forced to play without vice-captain Lars Bender in the Portuguese capital after the midfielder aggravated an abdominal muscle injury during his side’s 1-0 loss to Bundesliga leaders Bayern München. Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt will go into the game without the Germany international, as he has one eye on the big match against Borussia Mönchengladbach this coming Sunday. The 25-year-old will more than likely be replaced by captain Simon Rolfes, who last weekend surprisingly announced that he is to retire at the end of the season.
Bayer 04 want to be group winners
However, before he retires, Rolfes, who flew out straight from Munich to Lisbon on Saturday, will want to show his class on the European stage one more time: “We want to stay at the top of the group and then we will see what happens,” said the 32-year-old with a wink. To make sure that the team’s last outing this year ends successfully, Bayer 04 must go up a gear, something they failed to do in their 1-0 loss to Monaco in their penultimate Champions League game and their defeat at Bayern: “What do we need to do differently in Lisbon? Get a goal,” said Ömer Toprak dryly and straight to the point.
However, his coach also knows and has been warned after the two 1-0 losses to Monaco. The coach will also not let himself be blinded by the fact they beat the Portuguese team, who are bottom of the group, 3-1 in their home game, as Benfica have won their last six home games in a row while only conceding two goals: “Of course we want to secure the top spot at the second time of asking but we know that anything can happen in football.”
