Breitenreiter: "Leverkusen have been dominant despite the defeats"

André Breitenreiter on …

… the opposition: "Leverkusen haven't had a good start to the season. The last thing they wanted is three straight defeats in competitive matches. But they're still a team with a lot of quality, they dominated their games despite the defeats. They played very well going forward but didn't take their chances. Bayer will be highly motivated against us and will want to be dynamic up front to turn things around. That's what we're preparing for. We want to celebrate our second win in a row and we're going to Leverkusen to get three points."

… his record as a coach against Leverkusen: "It's never about my personal statistics. Leverkusen is a top team and beating them is no easy task. But of course I would be very happy to go against the stats and finally get my first win against them as a coach."

… Gerardo Seoane: "He has a very good reputation in Switzerland. He's won the Swiss league several times with Young Boys and has worked very successfully. We haven't met face to face yet, but we have shown appreciation for each other several times in the past. He contacted me last year and praised me during the season for the good work at FC Zurich, and he also congratulated me after winning the league title. He's a very good coach, but of course I hope he'll only be successful again after our game in Leverkusen."

… Ozan Kabak: "For me it's difficult to assess the past few years with him. At Norwich, Stuttgart and Schalke he was playing to avoid relegation, but at Liverpool he was playing at the highest level to win the league. I see a very hard-working player who is hugely motivated every day. He does everything he can to be in the best possible shape. Ozan has integrated very quickly and his two goals have boosted his confidence. TSG is the right environment for him to concentrate fully on football. He can improve some little things, but we are very happy with the way he's started."

… the TSG women's match against Wolfsburg in the PreZero Arena: "My daughter played football for many years at a decent level. I'm a big fan of the women's Bundesliga. I've been to plenty of games, including the Champions League in Zurich when TSG were the opponents. I think it's fantastic that the game is being played in the PreZero Arena and that the euphoria of the European Championship is being carried over. The women are being given the opportunity to take their game to the next level, and I completely support that."

The personnel situation:

Philipp Pentke (elbow surgery), Benjamin Hübner (ankle injury), Ihlas Bebou (knee problems) and Ermin Bičakčić (training deficit) are missing. Stanley Nsoki is still a question mark: the centre-back suffered a thigh injury against VfL Bochum. Stefan Posch is available again after his suspension.

The opposition's form:

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have started the Bundesliga season with two defeats. After losing 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund on the opening day, Gerardo Seoane's team lost their home match 2-1 to FC Augsburg last week. Leverkusen were also eliminated in the first round of the DFB Cup.

Head-to-head record:

TSG have only won six times against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 28 Bundesliga encounters. The Rhinelanders have won 16 times. Last season the points were shared in the BayArena (2-2) and Leverkusen won the return match 4-2 in Sinsheim.  

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