Bayer Leverkusen vs SC Paderborn 07 preview - Schmidt warns of Paderborn threat

Posted Friday, October 03, 2014 by PA

Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt is demanding his side pay just as much respect to Bundesliga newcomers Paderborn this weekend as they did for European heavyweights Benfica in midweek.

Bayer claimed an impressive 3-1 Champions League win over last season's Europa League finalists Benfica on Wednesday and are looking to follow that up with a home victory over Paderborn on Saturday.

Schmidt has warned his side not to underestimate their opponents, though.

The name may not be so illustrious and they may not have played in the Bundesliga before this season, but Schmidt says they deserve to be rubbing shoulders with Germany's elite.

"They are good opponents and defensively strong," Schmidt said at a press conference.

"At the start of the season, they were really causing an uproar, getting some extraordinarily good results and even leading the table at one stage.

"That is already a clear statement and that is why I'm expecting it to be a tight game.

"We must not underestimate Paderborn, and we are not going to either. This is going to be another big test for us."

Schmidt hopes to have Julian Brandt back for this test, but the injured Simon Rolfes and Kyriakos Papadopoulos are still unavailable while Emir Spahic is suspended.

"We still have a few other questions to answer - Tin Jedvaj and Lars Bender are doubtful and Sebastian Boenisch is definitely going to miss out," Schmidt said. "He's going to use the international break to cure his infection."

Since topping the table, Paderborn have fallen to defeats to Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach, yet their coach Andre Breitenreiter still has a big smile on his face.

"We played a fantastic game last weekend and we were very close to getting something," he said.

"When you play against sides like these, you cannot afford even the hint of a mistake because they will get punished, which is why you need to be alert right through the game."