Business end of the season, the final straight, crunch time: however you choose to describe it, the fact of the matter remains the same for VfB in a high-stakes 2025/26 Bundesliga season finale.
Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß’s side have 58 points from 32 matches and currently sit in fifth place in the table, sandwiched between Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim on goal difference alone. As the fourth-placed team, Leverkusen presently occupy the final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot. All of which adds extra spice to the Werkself’s trip to the MHP Arena on Saturday 9 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), which is VfB’s final home game of the season.
Last home match
“It’s a home game in which there’s a huge amount at stake,” said Hoeneß. “The players had a good week in training and showed plenty of energy. I’m confident that, with the support of our fans, we’ll get off to a really good start in the game.”
Even without the context of the fourth-place tussle, the encounter promises to be a particularly intensive one between the teams with the best tackle success rates in the Bundesliga: VfB have won an average of 55 percent this season, Leverkusen 52 percent. “That goes to show that both sides are capable of contesting challenges in a consistent manner,” said Hoeneß.
Another statistic that stands out ahead of this clash: both VfB and Leverkusen have scored 66 Bundesliga goals this season. Only champions Bayern Munich have more, with 116.
“We’ll have to be willing to push ourselves to the absolute limit,” continued the 43-year-old tactician. “Leverkusen are a team that want to play football and they’ve got superb individual players in their ranks.”
Jeltsch and Karazor absent
The game comes too soon for Finn Jeltsch to feature, while Atakan Karazor is suspended. Ameen Al Dakhil is available again, though.