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After being eliminated from the CL, the fight for the next CL follows

After Schalke, Bayer kissed the Champions League goodbye last week after the penalty shootout. No time to grieve because both are now facing a fight for the first four places of the league, those that lead to the CL next year

Schalke didn't play a good match in Berlin, but did manage to get one point in the injury time. The young goalie Wellenreuther's insecurity (he's the third goalie) were their biggest problem, because that helped in conceding both goals. It wasn't easy to get back into the game twice after that.

- This match is worth six points. It's a direct fight for a place that leads to the CL, I hope we'll continue playing well at home - coach Di Matteo said, and then commented on the state in Leverkusen:

- We were in that same situation last week. It was good for us that we played a new match as soon as possible to forget about being eliminated, and I think that's how it is in their club now.

Di Matteo won't be able to rely on the captain Howedes today, he's the basis of their defense. He should be substituted by Ayhan or Kolašinac. Also, the forward Choupo-Moting is dealing with an injury, and will probably start from the bench. Even though he played very well this season, it might not be much of a handicap if his substitute Sane reacts well.

The rest of the injured players have been out for weeks. The good news is that Fahrmann, Draxler, and Farfan are back to practices, but they're still not ready to play today. 

Bayer were encouraged with a series of wins before going to Madrid, with a goal to defend the advantage from the first match. They didn't show much in what was a pretty boring match. They were defeated 1-0, which lead to penalty kicks, but they didn't do well there, and missed three. Even though they had 120 minutes of a long and exhausting match behind them, they didn't have much time for regrets. The fight for the third or fourth place will obviously remain intense till the end. Today, they'll host one of their main rivals for those places.

- No wisdom to show there, we want to play the Champions League next year, too. One look at the league table reveals how important this match is - coach Schmidt was concise. 

In his team, the defender Jedvaj and the forward Kruse have been injured for some time, and the midfielder Bender is questionable because of a minor injury, as well. Still, we will probably see some changes in the starting eleven because it wouldn't be a good idea to send too many tired players out at the same time. And after playing for 120 minutes in Madrid, plenty of players are tired... 

Predicting the starting lineup would be just a wild guess, but if we can believe the German press, Calhanoglu and Drmić could be on the bench.

Schalke have one defeat in 13 home matches in Bundesliga, and Bayer have 5 wins in 12 away matches. They are only three points apart on the league table, and I really can't see why the guests would be such a heavy favorite. True, Schalke have absences' problems, but that's been their standard this entire season. They didn't get their previous results with a better team, actually, they had worse lineups occasionally. Bayer don't have so many absences, but they do have accumulated fatigue. Four days ago, they played 120 minutes of a demanding match and were disappointed after being eliminated after the penalty shootout. Players can't get in and out of game in football like in other sports, so fatigue plays a much bigger role. The visiting coach announced resting some players to keep them fresh, to a degree. Bayer didn't win here in their last three away matches, and I don't think they will today, either. Bottom line is, I think the odds should be set in reverse here.