RB Leipzig were eleventh in the Bundesliga when Domenico Tedesco succeeded Jesse March as the head coach in December 2021. They are now fourth in the table. The upturn in form for the club is closely connected to the Italian born coach who has an impressive record across all competitions: 21 games, 14 wins, five draws and just two defeats. The Red Bulls are top of the form table in the second half of the season with 29 points since the winter break. They have scored the most goals (39) in this calendar year and conceded the fewest (nine). After the 2-0 win away to Atalanta they are in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League and, four days after the game against Bayer 04, they face Union Berlin in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. Things could hardly be better for RB Leipzig at the moment. "If we take that confidence into the next games then it could be a very interesting and good run-in for us," said Konrad Laimer after the 4-1 win at Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago. And that almost sounds like an understatement as this could be a great season for Leipzig after a disappointing start. They are unbeaten in 13 games (nine wins, four draws) and still in with a chance of winning two titles. After the convincing victory at BVB, the Tedesco team also gave TSG Hoffenheim no chance last weekend with a 3-0 home win and thereby extended the lead over rivals for the Champions League places to seven points and they are now just one point behind Bayer 04 in third place.
With the exception of one player, Domenico Tedesco had a full squad to choose from in Bergamo. Only the midfielder Amadou Haidara was missing from the Leipzig line-up. The Mali international has been out for three weeks with a cruciate injury and he will be unavailable for the game at Leverkusen. Otherwise the team news reflects the situation on the pitch: Everything is running smoothly at RB.
The Red Bulls play with a back three mostly made up of Josko Gvardiol, Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan. A strong alternative here is the Germany international Lukas Klostermann. The RB skipper Peter Gulasci is having an impressive season in goal with the Hungarian shot-stopper only having to pick the ball out of his net 28 times in 28 league games, the best figures in the league.
In the 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 formations, the former Leverkusen player Kevin Kampl and the Austrian Konrad Laimer usually play in defensive midfield. Laimer, a tireless runner, ball winner and motivator stood out with two goals in the 4-1 win at Dortmund. Kampl is the organiser and strategist with RB. On the flanks, Tedesco opts for the Spaniard Angelino (on the left) plus the French defender Nordi Mukiele and the second former Werkself player Benjamin Henrichs on the right. After a long lay-off through injury, the Germany international Marcel Halstenberg celebrated his comeback against Hoffenheim with a goal in the 3-0 win. Dani Olmo, Emil Forsberg and Dominik Szoboszlai function as instigators and finishers behind the front two. Christopher Nkunku has been in outstanding form for months. In addition, Leipzig have two other excellent forwards in Yussuf Poulsen (5 goals) and André Silva (10).
It can be unpleasant for opponents when RB Leipzig get going. Hertha Berlin have conceded twelve goals against the Leipzig team in two games, and SpVgg Greuther Fürth let in ten. Above all, Christopher Nkunku is having an outstanding season. His brace at Atalanta made him the matchwinner again. The Frenchman is not only the most prolific goalscorer at RB but is also the best provider in the team with 14 assists. Across all competitions this season, Nkunku has clocked up a sensational 30 goals and 18 assists and that puts him amongst the top four in the top European leagues.
The 24-year-old benefits from the high press by the whole team. RB Leipzig have won the second most balls amongst all Bundesliga teams (289). The Red Bulls are also the best counter-attacking team in Germany's top flight. Up to now Leipzig have scored ten times on the break. The team from Saxony have also proved to be extremely efficient this term – they are in second place in terms of converting chances. And they also pose a threat from set pieces: RB are in the top three with 18 goals from dead balls. Last but not least, the Tedesco team have kept it tight at the back. They have the second best defence in the league behind Bayern (29) with 31 goals conceded.
Up to the winter break, RB Leipzig were one of the weakest sides in the league on the road. The team has got a grip of this problem under Tedesco and they have won all of their last seven away games across all competitions.
In the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Atalanta, Leipzig allowed an unusually high number of shots and chances for the Italian side in the 1-1 draw at home. "We made too many unforced errors," Tedesco declared. Mistakes like that are unusual. They showed that in the second leg with a 2-0 win demonstrating the solidity of their defence.
Leipzig are in a rich vein of form and they have a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the fourth time in succession. Whether as the team in third or fourth will become clear. But they are almost certain not to relinquish that opportunity after an impressive run in the league. They could even win two titles this season. The team from Saxony are at home to Union Berlin in the DFB Cup semi-final on 20 April. They will face Hamburg SV or SC Freiburg in the final if they go through. RB Leipzig have been drawn against Rangers in the semi-finals of the Europa League (28 April/5 May). Leipzig are definitely not the underdogs in the game against the Scottish side. The fear of running out of steam at the end of a busy season has dissipated. They are in a very good position with an almost full squad both in terms of strength and depth.
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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