RB Leipzig will face another tough challenge in the UEFA Champions League when they host Juventus at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday.
Looking at the fixtures list, most big teams have only two or three big oppositions to play for, meaning the home side probably have the most challenging fixtures list in the Champions League league phase. Having already suffered defeat in the opening matchday to a late Atletico Madrid goal, RB Leipzig are now readying themselves to host an unbeaten Juventus side.
They also have upcoming games against Inter Milan and Liverpool, considered significant in many aspects. RB Leipzig will also have to ward off the challenge posed by Portuguese champions Sporting CP and Premier League high-flyers Aston Villa, which makes their league-phase fixtures list the toughest of all teams here.
Hence, Marco Rose will know there is no fallback option for his side later in the Champions League, as he will target a win in each of those encounters. Leipzig were unfortunate on Matchday 1, having taken the lead through Benjamin Sesko, then conceding an equaliser just before the break.
A Jose Maria Gimenez winner in the 90th minute was enough to secure Atletico a victory, which would have been heartbreaking for Rose’s men. They have maintained a good run of form domestically, as they thrashed FC Augsburg 4-0 at the weekend to stay third in the Bundesliga standings.
Meanwhile, Juventus will feel confident about this clash away in Germany after an unbeaten start to their season in all competitions. The Bianconeri opened their Champions League account with a 3-1 win at home over Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Had it not been for a late consolation from Ismael Saibari, Thiago Motta’s men would have maintained their 100% defensive record in all competitions.
They have yet to concede a goal after six rounds of Serie A fixtures, and their 3-0 win over Genoa at the weekend also ended their three-match winless run. With that win at the weekend, which also ended their goal drought in the league, Juventus will be itching to take on Leipzig and collect another win in their quest to finish in the top eight.
Team News & Tactics
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose will continue to deploy an attacking 4-4-2 formation against Juventus. Once again, Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda will take charge of the attacking setup. Both strikers scored at the weekend, and the manager will hope to see their names again on Wednesday.
Antonio Nusa was handed his first start in a Leipzig shirt at the weekend and did not disappoint with his display. Rose could look to replace the young Norwegian with Christoph Baumgartner’s experience on the right side of his midfield, while another goalscorer at the weekend, Xavi Simons, is best placed to take a similar role on the left side.
There are some doubts about Eljif Elmas, although he could be in contention for this one from the bench. Others, like Kevin Kampl, Assan Quedraogo, and Xaver Schlager, are all out of contention. Rose will likely bring Arthur Vermeeren back into the midfield equation at the expense of Amadou Haidara, while Nicolas Seiwald will retain his spot in the team.
Willi Orban and Castello Lukeba are the best options to marshall RB Leipzig’s central defensive pairing, with the summer signings Lutsharel Geertruida and David Raum supporting them.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Gulacsi; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Baumgartner, Seiwald, Vermeeren, Simons; Sesko, Openda
Juventus
Thiago Motta does not have too many concerns about injuries and absentees, as Arkadiusz Milik, Timothy Weah, and Vasilije Adzic are the confirmed absentees ahead of this trip to Leipzig. Motta did rest a few of his stars from the weekend’s game, and given his bent on using many of his squad options, this game against Leipzig could see the manager field a strong lineup.
Juan Cabal could be the only change to the backline, as Jonas Jakob Rouhi, who started at left-back against Genoa, could make way. Motta will continue to experiment with his midfield, as it appears he has not found his best pairing yet. The Juventus side has seen a constant chopping and changing of that double-pivot, and this Leipzig game will see another change to the setup.
Both starters at the weekend in Weston McKennie and Nicolo Fagioli will drop out as two of Douglas Luiz, Manuel Locatelli, and Khephren Thuram could come into the lineup. On paper, Luiz and Locatelli should form the partnership in the middle, while the front four is primarily expected to stay the same.
Teun Koopmeiners will once again be tasked with the creative duties on the side, while Nico Gonzalez and Kenan Yildiz are the preferred choices for the wide roles. Dusan Vlahovic will continue to lead the line following his goalscoring performance at the weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Danilo, Kalulu, Bremer, Cabal; Locatelli, Luiz; Gonzalez, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Key Stats
- Juventus are unbeaten in all competitions this season, conceding just once.
- Juventus remain the only side in Europe’s top five leagues yet to concede a goal in domestic action.
- RB Leipzig have lost only once in 19 games across all competitions.
- RB Leipzig are on a club-record run of Bundesliga games without a defeat.
- Dusan Vlahovic has been involved in four goals in eight UEFA Champions League appearances for Juventus (2 goals, 2 assists), assisting in his last two games. Only three players have assisted in three games in a row for the Bianconeri – Alessandro Del Piero (1998), Zinedine Zidane (1998/99) and Juan Cuadrado (2020/21, four in a row).
Player to Watch
Benjamin Sesko
The young Slovenian striker’s decision to stay put and continue his development at Leipzig may eventually prove to be the right call. The Premier League had big interest in him, with Arsenal chasing him for long periods. But he is continuing to star for Marco Rose’s men this season.
Having opened the scoring in Leipzig’s last two (including the current one) UEFA Champions League campaign, Sesko got his first Bundesliga goals at the weekend with a brace against Augsburg. Rose will now hope the Slovenian frontman picks form ahead of a crucial time of their season, especially in the European competition, as he will want a big performance against Juventus on Wednesday.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 2-2 Juventus
Both teams are coming into this encounter in a superior vein of form, and either manager will want to assert their dominance in the game. Leipzig is coming off a big win at the weekend and will look to take home advantage against Juventus.
The defensive resilience of this Juventus side will prove tricky for Leipzig’s otherwise livewire attackers. The game seems poised to go either way, meaning there’s a high chance of an entertaining draw in Germany, with a predicted score of a 2-2 draw.
