Jonas Hofmann and Martin Terrier to earn more playing time at Bayer Leverkusen | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjlumand prepares to face his old Bundesliga club this weekend. Hjulmand wished to make clear that, for him, heading back to the capital of the Rhineland Palatinate didn’t render this match any different from the other six games he’s contested since taking charge of die Werkself. The fact that he would be squaring off against fellow Dane Bo Henriksen was also immaterial.

“I’ve attended Mainz games to scout players [when I was Denmark national team coach],” Hjulmand said at a Friday pre-match press conference. “but I don’t have much contact [with them]. This game isn’t about Bo [Henriksen] and me. For me, it’s all about helping Leverkusen get three more points.“

In terms of personnel updates, Hjulmand proved very forthcoming. Lead striker Patrik Schick remains out with his fascia injury. Central defender Jarell Quansah’s patella tendon will also keep the Englishman sidelined for the encounter. Malik Tillman – who incurred a muscle injury whilst on international duty with the USMNT – is also questionable.

Although Hjulmand didn’t explicitly state it, the most obvious solution would be to maintain the midfield double-six set up of Aleix Garcia and Ezequiel Fernandez with squad captain Robert Andrich taking Quansah’s place in the back-three. Ibrahim Maza will likely replace TIllmann in attack. Rising Burkinabé striker Christian Kofane – barring something unforeseen – should likely retain his place spearheading the attack.

Some of Hjulmand’s statements nevertheless suggested that something unforeseen could be in the works. Two players who have been out of the mix for the entire season could be poised to earn meaningful minutes.

Former German national team attacker Jonas Hofmann – consistently the “odd man out”  at the club – may now find a role in Hjulmand’s plans. French attacker Martin Terrier – who has not featured at all this season on the way back from injury – may also soon work his way into the squad.

Hofmann has thus far only logged 29 mostly meaningless minutes as a substitute, but Hjulmand has turned to the 33-year-old off the bench in three consecutive games. Terrier might prove especially useful in the absence of Schick as the 28-year-old can function as a false No. 9.

“Jonas Hofmann has been building up his form,” Hjulmand said on Friday. “He’s getting closer and closer. Martin [Terrier] is strong and ready. It has nothing to do with his injury. It’s just a matter of building up his fitness. He’s close. We’ll see if it will be tomorrow or in the next few weeks.“

GGFN | Peter Weis