Leipzig back in top-four race after UCL exit.
RB Leipzig vs
Darmstadt 98
After their Champions League exit, RB Leipzig aim to break into the Bundesliga top four as they host struggling SV Darmstadt 98 at the Red Bull Arena this Saturday.
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig battled hard at the Bernabéu to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Wednesday, but it was not enough as the Red Bulls crashed out of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate scoreline. "I am very proud; we were very close. We played a great match. Congratulations to Real Madrid," Marco Rose said after seeing his side crash out by a slim margin.
"We defended very well; I don’t think Madrid has started to play so many long balls in other games,” he added. Leipzig are now back in the Bundesliga race for a top-four finish, following last weekend’s 4-1 win over Bochum. The Red Bulls have experienced a turnaround in form since matchday 20 after losing three consecutive matches prior to that game week.
They remain in 5th place with 43 points heading into this home clash against newly promoted Darmstadt. Leipzig have never lost to newly promoted sides, going unbeaten in 30 such games, while winning the last 14 in a row. They also have a great record against Saturday's opponents, winning all three of their previous Bundesliga encounters against the visitors by an aggregate score of 9-1.
A 4—2—2—2 formation with Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško in attack is expected against Darmstadt. Regarding availability, Xaver Schlager will miss this fixture due to a one-game suspension for accumulated yellow cards, while Lukas Klostermann is out with a hip injury.
Darmstadt 98
Newly-promoted Darmstadt suffered a 6-0 thrashing against Augsburg in their last league outing, leaving them with three defeats in their last five games [LDLDL] and a 17-game winless run [0W, 6D, 11L], which is the longest in their top-flight history.
They remain stuck at the bottom of the Bundesliga table with 13 points [2W, 7D, & 15L] and a goal difference of -34, their worst record in any top-flight season after 24 games.
Nevertheless, the Lilies, who are four points adrift of potential safety, will be looking to pick up an unlikely point when they visit Leipzig. A 3—4—1—2 formation with Sebastian Polter and Tim Skarke in attack is expected on Saturday.
Meanwhile, manager Torsten Lieberknecht has a long injury list to deal with ahead of this clash. Matthias Bader and Fabian Schnellhardt are dealing with muscle injuries, while Nürnberger, Hornby, and Manu are recovering from ankle injuries.
