Rolfes rallies Leverkusen for Mainz assault

Bayer Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes has rallied his team ahead of their Bundesliga clash against Mainz on Sunday.

The 29-year-old believes Leverkusen cannot afford a slip-up in their first league match since the winter break and asserted that the Rhine side must do everything possible to secure Champions League qualification for the second consecutive season.

“With Mainz starts the reboot. We are far from securing a spot in the Champions League and we want to return,” he told Bild.

“We want to play against Chelsea or Barcelona next year… nothing against (Rosenborg) Trondheim or (Metalist) Kharkiv but the Europa League is not our goal.”

Rolfes went on to state that his side, currently sixth in the Bundesliga and seven points behind a top-four position, lacked consistency in the first half of the season.

“In the first round we were too variable. We can no longer occasionally give our best performances. In my opinion it is important to find the right mix of offensive play and defensive stability and discipline. That’s always a balancing act,” he said.

“If we achieve that, we still have every chance of finishing in the top four.”

Leverkusen returned to the Champions League this season after a lengthy hiatus, and qualified for the knockout round after finishing second in Group E, ahead of Valencia and behind winners Chelsea.

They face holders Barcelona in the round-of-16, with the first leg to take place in February.