Bayer Leverkusen will once again be without defender Lucas Vázquez for their Bundesliga home game against RB Leipzig. "He's not ready for this game yet," said Bayer coach Kasper Hjulmand ahead of the clash with the third-placed team in the table on Saturday (18:30/Sky). Vázquez (34) suffered a calf ligament injury in the previous week's cup semi-final against Bayern Munich and had already missed last Saturday's 2-1 derby win in Cologne. The Spaniard, who signed in the summer, will miss his 25th competitive match this season due to injury. It remains to be seen who will be in goal for Bayer against Leipzig. According to Hjulmand, the return of Mark Flekken, who was also absent against Cologne and was well-represented by Janis Blaswich, is theoretically possible. "We'll have to wait and see. I'll decide after training on Friday," announced Hjulmand. The Werkself urgently need a win in the battle for a place in the Champions League. With 55 points, Bayer are only sixth in the table ahead of the 32nd matchday. However, they are just two points behind TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart, who also face each other directly on Saturday. The gap to Leipzig is already seven points. "We've talked about our situation and are very focused on the remaining three games of the season. If we win them all, we have a great chance of playing in the Champions League again. That's our goal - and we have to do everything we can to achieve it," appealed Hjulmand. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reservedBayer want to be in the top flight
