RB Leipzig will be eager to keep pace with the Bundesliga front-runners when they face Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
The games continue to come thick and fast across Europe, with Matchday 24 kicking off in the Bundesliga on Friday. The action on Saturday will kick-start with four simultaneous fixtures, one of which will feature reigning champions Bayern Munich. And another such game will see RB Leipzig hosting Borussia Monchengladbach at the Red Bull Arena.
RB Leipzig made a disastrous start to the 2022/23 season, with Domenico Tedesco not even lasting one month into the new campaign. Marco Rose replaced the 37-year-old and has galvanised Die Roten Bullen. And while they have wobbled lately, the hosts are one of the dark horses in the Bundesliga title race. But Leipzig will come into this game on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last weekend.
On the other hand, Borussia Monchengladbach will look back fondly at the 2022/23 season thus far. Gladbach came into the campaign ready to embark on a new era under Daniel Farke. But after starting the season brightly and rising to second on the table, they have been highly inconsistent. And the visitors have won only four of their last 13 league games, falling to tenth in the standings.
The reverse fixture saw Borussia Monchengladbach cruise to a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig, thanks to goals from Jonas Hofmann and Ramy Bensebaini. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
RB Leipzig
ℹ️ @Abdou_diallo_ is still out with a knee injury but is in individual training and making good progress.#RBLBMG pic.twitter.com/jnZOhrU3XM
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) March 10, 2023
Marco Rose has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday, the RB Leipzig manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Christopher Nkunku (hamstring) and Xaver Schlager (ankle) are the latest absentees. And the latter faces a race against time to be fit again before the season ends. Meanwhile, the duo has joined Peter Gulacsi (knee), and Abdou Diallo (knee). In addition, Rose will take a late call on Dani Olmo (match fitness) after the Spaniard resumed full training.
Janis Blaswich will continue to deputise for Gulacsi between the sticks. And Leipzig will line up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. The backline will see Willi Orban and Josko Gvardiol forming the central defensive partnership, with Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum being the full-backs.
The full-back duo will have a lot of offensive responsibilities, especially with the wide midfielders likely to veer infield. The said players will be Dominik Szoboszlai and Emil Forsberg, who often make an impact from central areas.
Szoboszlai, in particular, will be the creative workhorse for Leipzig. Meanwhile, Konrad Laimer, available again after serving a suspension last weekend, will pair up with Amadou Haidara in the middle of the park. Finally, Andre Silva and Timo Werner should be the two strikers for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Szoboszlai, Laimer, Haidara, Forsberg; Silva, Werner
Borussia Monchengladbach
Like his counterpart in the RB Leipzig dugout, Daniel Farke has a new roster issue to deal with ahead of the trip to the Red Bull Arena. The Borussia Monchengladbach manager will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Ramy Bensebaini is the latest absentee after seeing red in the game last weekend against SC Freiburg. The Algerian international has joined Jonas Omlin (thigh), Jan Olschowsky (finger), Tony Jantschke (knee), and Julian Weigl (ankle) on the sidelines.
Third-choice goalkeeper Tobias Sippel will take his spot between the sticks in the absence of Omlin and Olschowsky. And Borussia Monchengladbach will line up in Farke’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the 34-year-old.
🎙️ Farke: "Ramy Bensebaini should have kept his emotions more in check in the situation and reacted better, which is why we have accepted the two-match ban. That's the end of the issue as far as we're concerned."#RBLBMG pic.twitter.com/noD6SRVkM7
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) March 9, 2023
Luca Netz will deputise for the suspended Bensebaini as the left-back, with Joe Scally starting on the right flank. Meanwhile, Ko Itakura and Nico Elvedi should form the central defensive partnership for the visitors.
Christoph Kramer and Kouadio Kone will pair up in the double pivot in the middle of the park. The duo will primarily be defensive-minded in their outlook. But Kramer will also look to initiate rapid transitions on the turnovers.
Jonas Hofmann is one of the biggest game-changers on the right flank in the Bundesliga. And he will look to trouble the Leipzig defence with his directness. The German international will join Alassane Plea, Marcus Thuram, and captain Lars Stindl in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sippel; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Netz; Kramer, Kone; Hofmann, Stindl, Plea; Thuram
Key Stats
- Borussia Monchengladbach have won their last two Bundesliga games against RB Leipzig (both at home), thus recording more victories against them than across their first 11 top-flight meetings (1). Nonetheless, the Foals only have a lower points-per-game average against Union Berlin (0.71) than they do against Leipzig (0.92).
- Borussia Monchengladbach have won none of their six Bundesliga away games against RB Leipzig (D3 L3). They have not faced any other side as often away from home without ever winning in the top flight. The Foals have conceded 14 goals during these six matches and have never kept a clean sheet.
- RB Leipzig have lost two of their last four Bundesliga games (W2) after previously enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run (W8, D4) that began after a 3-0 loss against Gladbach. They could now suffer back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have only lost one of their seven games against the current top five teams (Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Union Berlin, RB Leipzig, SC Freiburg) this season: 2-1 at Union at the end of October (otherwise W3 D3). They have collected an average of 1.7 points from these seven matches, compared to just 1.1 points from the games against teams currently sitting in sixth and below (18 in 16 games).
- Only Borussia Dortmund (28) have collected more points at home than RB Leipzig this season (26). They have only ever claimed more points from their first 11 home games in 2016/17 and 2020/21 (28 both times).
Player to Watch
Marcus Thuram
Saturday’s match will feature several players who can turn a game’s fate singlehandedly. One such player is Marcus Thuram, who has been enjoying one of the best campaigns of his career. And before leaving Borussia Monchengladbach, he will be eager to deliver the goods as much as possible.
The French international is a target for several top clubs across the continent. And with every game-changing performance, he can add more suitors ahead of a potential bidding war. And one can expect Thuram to leave his mark after a forgettable outing against SC Freiburg last weekend.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Both teams will be without a few crucial players on Saturday. So some fringe stars will be eager to stamp their authority and convince their managers to get more game time. One such player will be Timo Werner, who should inspire RB Leipzig to a much-needed victory this weekend.
The German international has not been at his best since the World Cup break ended. But with Christopher Nkunku unavailable, Werner will make his mark. Marcus Thuram should also join the party and find the back of the net. But RB Leipzig will eventually eke out a 2-1 win at the Red Bull Arena.