Leverkusen will host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday and are positioning themselves as the top contenders behind the dominant Bayern Munich.
The latest proof of Hjulmand's impact was Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory at Manchester City.
While Guardiola rotated his squad with 10 changes, Leverkusen faced significant challenges from injuries and suspensions, fielding seven teenagers on the bench. Only four starters were part of the club last season.
After going unbeaten to win the league and cup two seasons ago, Leverkusen’s summer of 2025 upheaval is well known.
Along with losing coach Xabi Alonso, who led the club to its first Bundesliga title in 120 years, Leverkusen parted ways with several key players, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong and Lukas Hradecky.
Alonso’s successor, former Manchester United manager Ten Hag, was dismissed after just two league games, leaving Hjulmand little preparation time.
With a squad including a dozen new players, Hjulmand has secured seven wins and one draw in nine league matches.
Across 15 matches in all competitions under Hjulmand, Leverkusen have only lost twice - to European giants Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain.
"We are building a new squad here. We have a clear vision and are moving in the right direction," Hjulmand commented after Tuesday’s win over City.
"We possess great potential and can improve further. Victories like the one against City provide momentum for our progress."
Typically the second powerhouse in German football, Dortmund have recently been eclipsed by Leverkusen.
Dortmund comfortably won 4-0 at home against Villarreal midweek but have struggled against elite opponents this season, suffering defeats to Bayern and City and draws with Juventus, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart.
Following Saturday’s match in Leverkusen, the teams will meet again three days later in the German Cup last 16 in Dortmund.
Player to watch: Lennart Karl
Bayern Munich’s young talent Lennart Karl may be only 17, but the attacking midfielder demonstrated this week that he belongs at the highest level.
Karl scored in Saturday’s 6-2 victory over Freiburg and found the net again in Wednesday’s 3-1 Champions League loss to Arsenal - Bayern’s first defeat of the season.
Gifted with speed and goal-scoring ability, Karl earned praise this week from fellow Bayern academy graduate, veteran forward Thomas Muller.
"Lennart is currently playing with refreshing enthusiasm, scoring goals and contributing significantly," Muller told RTL.
"You can see he enjoys working hard to improve and also has fun playing. Improving is one thing; not being too intense about it is another.
"I believe they’re achieving a good balance."
Important statistics
8 - Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jonathan Burkardt has scored eight goals in 10 league matches this season, including three braces. He was sidelined for the rest of the year due to a calf injury sustained on Thursday.
12 - Michael Olise has contributed six goals and six assists in 11 league games.
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