RB Leipzig will hope to return to winning ways when they take on VfL Bochum at Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Saturday.
The 2022/23 Bundesliga season resumes this week with Matchday 25, as we get into the final ten rounds of fixtures. The action on Saturday will kick off with four simultaneous matches, with one of those games featuring VfL Bochum and RB Leipzig at Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
2022/23 has been a difficult season for VfL Bochum, the second consecutive campaign for them in the Bundesliga. The Undescendables have been in and around the relegation zone throughout the term. And they have spent nearly half of the season at the foot of the standings. But a 2-0 win over 1. FC Koln has lifted Bochum to 14th on the table, two points clear of 16th-placed VfB Stuttgart.
On the other hand, RB Leipzig will come into the game on the back of a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City. The result can potentially derail their campaign, especially considering they have been inconsistent lately. But Marco Rose has guided Leipzig to third on the table after once being as low as 12th. And Leipzig might even have an outside chance of winning the title.
The reverse fixture saw RB Leipzig cruise to a 4-0 win over VfL Bochum, with Timo Werner and Christopher Nkunku scoring a brace each. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
VfL Bochum
Danilo #Soares had stomach problems, so he had to leave early in Cologne. After a short break, however, he has now trained again at a very high level. He is in top shape. pic.twitter.com/2ER4qmsNpW
— VfL Bochum 1848 (@VfLBochum1848EN) March 16, 2023
Thomas Letsch does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against RB Leipzig on Saturday, the VfL Bochum manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
Paul Grave (shoulder), Cristian Gamboa (knee), and Simon Zoller (thigh) remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Letsch had been sweating over the fitness of Christopher Antwi-Adjei this week. But the 29-year-old has shaken off a minor hamstring strain to be available this week.
Antwi-Adjei will be an automatic pick on the left flank, and he will join Philipp Hofmann and Takuma Asano in the final third. Hofmann will spearhead the attack, while Antwi-Adjei and Asano will make an impact with their directness.
Captain Anthony Losilla will sit at the base of the midfield unit. He will look to marshall the troops in the middle of the park and aim to keep things tight. Kevin Stoger and Patrick Osterhage will join Losilla in the centre of the pitch. And the duo will make their mark during transitions, looking to push Bochum forward quickly.
Ivan Ordets and Erhan Masovic will pair up at the heart of the Bochum defence. Meanwhile, Danilo Soares and Konstantinos Stafylidis will be the two full-backs. While the duo will primarily remain pinned back and try to plug the holes, they will look for opportunities to provide the width. Finally, Manuel Riemann will take his place between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Riemann; Stafylidis, Ordets, Masovic, Soares; Stoger, Losilla, Osterhage; Asano, Hofmann, Antwi-Adjei
RB Leipzig
Like his counterpart in the VfL Bochum dugout, Marco Rose has more or less the same squad to pick from ahead of the trip to Vonovia Ruhrstadion. The RB Leipzig manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Christopher Nkunku is the most notable absentee as he recovers from a hamstring injury. The Frenchman accompanies captain Peter Gulacsi (knee), Abdou Diallo (knee), and Xaver Schlager (ankle) on the sidelines.
Getting ready for Saturday ⚽
🔜 #BOCRBL pic.twitter.com/5v7Cg5Zp3j
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) March 16, 2023
There is no looking past Janis Blaswich between the sticks in Gulacsi’s absence. And Leipzig will line up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of Blaswich, with Benjamin Henrichs, Willi Orban, Josko Gvardiol, and David Raum completing the backline.
Konrad Laimer and Amadou Haidara should pair up in the middle of the park. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. And their presence will give the wide midfielders the freedom and impetus to express themselves in the final third.
So Dominik Szoboszlai and Emil Forsberg will often take up central positions, allowing the full-backs to overlap. Finally, Nkunku’s continued absence means Andre Silva and Timo Werner will be the two strikers for Leipzig.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Szoboszlai, Laimer, Haidara, Forsberg; Silva, Werner
Key Stats
- RB Leipzig have won all eight competitive meetings with VfL Bochum (4 in Bundesliga 2, 3 in Bundesliga, 1 in DFB-Pokal). They have not faced any other team as often in professional football and won every game. The Undescendables have only suffered as many consecutive defeats against Bayern Munich (between 1978 and 1982) in professional football and never more against a side.
- After a run of five straight home wins, Bochum lost their last two home games against SC Freiburg and Schalke. They failed to score in both those matches, and a third home defeat in a row without scoring would equal their negative club record, which last happened to them under Klaus Toppmoller in 1998/99.
- Since Marco Rose took charge of RB Leipzig, they have collected 40 points from 19 Bundesliga games (W12 D4 L3), with only Bayern Munich managing a better haul during this period (41 points). The Red Bulls have conceded a league-low 20 goals since Rose arrived.
- RB Leipzig have faced the fewest shots this season (213), whereas only FC Augsburg (393) have allowed more than VfL Bochum (366). The Blues have the highest xGA (46.1) in the division, compared to Leipzig’s 26.3, the second lowest behind Bayern Munich (25.7).
- VfL Bochum have conceded the most goals from set pieces this season (22). RB Leipzig have let in the third-most goals from set plays (15, same as Eintracht Frankfurt). The Bulls are the only team to have conceded over half of their goals from dead balls (52%, 15 of 29).
Player to Watch
Dominik Szoboszlai
With Christopher Nkunku recovering from a hamstring injury, RB Leipzig’s focal point changes. And while Emil Forsberg has been in fine form in the last few games and Timo Werner has scored a few crucial goals, the most important figure for the visitors is Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Hungarian international remains a highly-rated playmaker across Europe. And recent reports have linked him with some Premier League bigwigs. But Szoboszlai will be focused on the job at hand in the coming weeks and try to help Leipzig to a solid finish to the 2022/23 season. That includes Saturday’s fixture, where his creative output will be crucial.
Prediction
VfL Bochum 0-2 RB Leipzig
VfL Bochum’s form has receded in the last few weeks, despite the win over 1. FC Koln last week. The hosts have also lost their last two home games, and the signs are not positive heading into the latest fixture. However, they might think that RB Leipzig will be ripe for the taking after the heavy defeat to Manchester City this week.
But Marco Rose has a strong squad at his disposal to overcome a tricky challenge against Bochum. And Dominik Szoboszlai and Timo Werner will likely deliver the goods, with Emil Forsberg finding the back of the net again. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-0 win for the visitors this weekend.
