Bayer Leverkusen vs Hannover 96 preview - Korkut: Players must deliver

Posted Friday, April 17, 2015 by PA

Hannover coach Tayfun Korkut says he will no longer accept any excuses as his side head to Bayer Leverkusen this Saturday looking to end a run of 12 games without a win.

The Lower Saxony club have stood by Korkut throughout their slide down the table and now he is demanding his team deliver in the form of three points in Leverkusen.

"We're right in the thick of it now and the situation's pretty clear," Korkut said at a press conference.

"We've got to give it all we can, never give up, have no excuses, leave everything else to one side and pull even tighter together.

"That's in the players' heads. The team have understood."

Understanding is one thing, but delivering is another against a side who have won their last six and are trying to keep up the pressure on third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach for a berth in next season's Champions League group stage.

Nevertheless, Korkut says it is not impossible that his side will end their wait for a win at the BayArena.

"We start at 0-0 and that's a fact, and then we have a chance of winning," he added.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen are not going to take victory for granted with their coach Roger Schmidt warning that Hannover's league plight actually makes them even more perilous.

"The relegation battle is so tight this year that there are so many teams who could still go down," he said.

"I'm expecting Hannover, like all of the teams down there, to be extremely focused on these final challenges."

Even if his side do get the better of Hannover, Schmidt believes Korkut should still be given the chance to save them.

"I know him and he's a very good coach," Schmidt said. "He's the right coach for Hannover to lead them to safety, but he's just going to have to do that in their last five games of the season."