Kasper Hjulmand has warned Bayer Leverkusen against complacency against Olympiacos, insisting they will take their Champions League play-off second leg “very seriously”.
Leverkusen hold a 2-0 lead at the halfway stage of the tie, with a quickfire Patrik Schick double at the Karaiskakis Stadium last week putting them in control.
The two sides have previously faced each other four times before in the Champions League, with both winning two games apiece. Leverkusen did win the only one to date to have taken place in Germany, however (2-0 in October 2002).
Hjulmand has won 44.4% of his Champions League games in charge of Leverkusen (W4 D3 L2); the highest win percentage of any manager with the German side in the competition (minimum three games).
The Werkself are given a healthy win probability of 51.5% by the Opta supercomputer, and Hjulmand is determined to see his side come out on top once more.
“It’s a good position to be in and a good result, but also a dangerous one – if you take it too lightly,” said Hjulmand.
“We’re taking the game very seriously; it’s not over yet. We’ll need to be at our best against a great opponent.
“But even the win in the first leg doesn’t change the fact we’re approaching the game as we normally do: We want to be proactive and win.”
Leverkusen have progressed from 20 of their 22 previous knockout-stage ties in major European competition after winning the first of two legs, with their only eliminations coming against Atletico Madrid in 2014-15 (Champions League last 16) and Udinese in 1999-00 (UEFA Cup last 32).
They could be without Malik Tillman, who has scored twice in the Champions League this season, due to injury.
He suffered a kick to the ankle in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga defeat to Union Berlin on Saturday, but Hjulmand was hesitant to rule him out of Tuesday’s match completely.
“We don’t think he’ll be able to play,” he added. “But we’ll see and decide tomorrow after training and the medical.”