Bayer Leverkusen Vs. Hannover 96 Pre-Match Primer

Neither Bayer Leverkusen nor Hannover 96 were involved in the DFB Pokal action this midweek, so they should both be well rested and very prepared for this crucial clash in the race for second and automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League. Bayer took over second place last week with a 3-1 victory in Mönchengladbach, while Hannover fell to defeat against Schalke 04 in the Veltins Arena.

Bayer have begun to get most of their injured players back, as Michael Ballack came on in the second half last week, and Stefan Kießling made his second consecutive start after missing much of the first half of the season. However, Jupp Heyneckes will be disappointed by the news that he’ll now be without Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta for several weeks; Barnetta has a knee injury that will require surgery.

Hannover have also suffered from their share of injuries, but are still well on course for the highest league finish in club history and their first venture into Europe since the 1992-3 Cup Winners’ Cup. A win today would see them re-take second place by a point ahead of Leverkusen, while a win for the home side would leave them five clear of Hannover in third.

Bayer Leverkusen (probably 4-5-1): Adler; Hyypia, Reinartz, Kadlec, Schwaab; Rolfes, Vidal, Castro, Augusto, Ballack; Kießling

Subs: Giefer, Jørgensen, Friedrich, Sam, Derdiyok, Vida, Balitsch

Hannover 96: Zieler; Pogatetz, Haggui, Schulz, Cherundolo; Pinto, Schmiedebach, Rausch, Stindl; Abdellaoue, Ya Konan

Subs: Fromlowitz, Forssell, Chahed, Lala, Eggimann, Djakpa, Stoppelkamp