Bayer Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim preview - Gisdol holds out hope for Europe

Posted Friday, May 15, 2015 by PA

Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol has not entirely given up on qualifying for Europe next season although he admits it is going to take something special to succeed.

Gisdol leads his side to fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen this Saturday four points off sixth - which would guarantee a berth in the Europa League - and two behind seventh, which may also be enough.

Only a win at the BayArena would enable them to go into their final game of the season at home to Hertha Berlin still in with a shout of Europe, and Gisdol wants them to keep those slender hopes alive.

"The final games of the season are always special," Gisdol said on his club's website. "There's always a great atmosphere and the tension rises even further.

"Recent years have shown that extraordinary things can and do happen in the final weekends of the season.

"We want to get the best we possibly can and get as many points as possible from our final games."

Hoffenheim are no strangers to final-day drama, having won in Dortmund two seasons ago to move out of the bottom three and condemn Fortuna Dusseldorf to relegation when they seemed odds-on to go down.

That would explain why they are still confident ahead of their trip to Leverkusen.

"We know that we can get the kind of good results that we want," said midfielder Eugen Polanski.

"We just need to show that not only are we desperate to win as individuals, but also as a team."

Leverkusen are certain of fourth place and their hopes of finishing third were dealt a blow by Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend.

They now trail Gladbach by five points and will be realistically just playing to bring a satisfactory end to the season in front of their own fans this season, having taken a step forwards in the past 12 months, according to their director of sport Rudi Voller.

"This fourth place is completely different to last year's," he said. "The way the team has performed has been exceptional.

"Even our Champions League performances were on a different level to previous years."