RB Leipzig will be keen to continue their DFB Pokal defence with a resounding win against fellow Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg.
RB Leipzig will be gunning for the third straight DFB Pokal title when they travel to the Volkswagen Arena to take on VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday night.
The home side began their cup campaign with a 6-0 TuS Makkabi Berlin and will hope to repeat their 2015 triumph, the only time they lifted the prestigious trophy in their 78 years of existence.
While the odds might be against them, anything can happen in a knockout competition. RB Leipzig have turned the Pokal into their own background and have not lost a match in the competition since the 2021 final against Borussia Dortmund.
Marco Rose’s side have made the final of the competition four times in the last five years. Inconsistency remains an issue, but the visitors will be expected to book their place in the next round with ease. Anything less will be a shock that few will put their money on. In fact, Leipzig have not been knocked out at this stage of the competition since 2017/18.
But then, knockout competitions have a charm of their own. Leipzig had to stretch themselves to secure a 3-2 victory over Wehen Wiesbaden in the last round. Wolfsburg are the underdogs on the night but will prove to be far tougher opponents on Tuesday.
Both sides are well acquainted with each other in the Pokal Cup. After all, Leipzig eliminated the Wolves thrice between 2018-2020. The last time Wolfsburg came out on top against Leipzig was in 2021 when they won 1-0 in the Bundesliga. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
VfL Wolfsburg
🎙️ Kovac: Patrick Wimmer wird für das Spiel nicht einsatzbereit sein. Ansonsten stehen uns die Spieler vom vergangenen Wochenende zur Verfügung. Das heißt, dass auch Koen Casteels und Rogerio weiterhin ausfallen.#WOBRBL #VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/bFz3OPcOfM
— VfL Wolfsburg (@VfL_Wolfsburg) October 30, 2023
Niko Kovac’s men are on a three-game losing streak and came out at the wrong end of a 3-2 humbling at the weekend in an ill-tempered clash against FC Augsburg.
Already dealing with several players out, Kovac saw Patrick Wimmer hobble off at the weekend. They will hope that the knock is not serious and that he can shake it off to at least make the bench on the night. However, with just 48 hours separating both matches, it is the best Wolfsburg can hope for.
The home side will be without Kilian Fischer and Felix Lange, both of whom are set to return in early November. Lukas Nmecha is also on the sidelines alongside Rogerio and Koen Casteels, who are recovering from calf and abdominal injuries, respectively.
Kovac is likely to retain his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Pavao Pervan in goal. He should be protected by the back four of Ridle Baku, Maxence Lacroix, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Nicolas Cozza.
Yannick Gerhardt and Maximilian Arnold should hold the fort in the middle of the park as the double pivot. This should give the trio of Vaclav Cerny, Lovro Majer and Tiago Tomas. Jonas Wind scored against Augsburg and should retain his spot up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pervan; Baku, Lacroix, Bornauw, Cozza; Arnold, Gerhardt; Cerny, Majer, Thomas; Wind
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose and his men are coming off an impressive 6-0 thrashing against FC Koln at the weekend. This takes their winning run to three, and they will be expected to make it four on the trot on Tuesday.
The defending champions have lost just one of their last 18 games in the competition, displaying a level of consistency that is often only matched by Bayern Munich in the German game. The prospect of a third title on the trot will be on everyone’s minds as they take to the field.
🔴 & 🔵 for tomorrow’s cup clash in Wolfsburg 👊#WOBRBL pic.twitter.com/rkwyBB69j3
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) October 30, 2023
Leipzig were far from convincing in the previous round and also saw star midfielder Dani Olmo go off with a shoulder injury at the weekend. The Spanish international joins Willi Orban, Kevin Kampl, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu on the sidelines.
However, the defending champions should have enough in their ranks to still come out on top. Rose is expected to field his side in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Peter Gulacsi in goal.
The Hungarian goalkeeper will be protected by the back three of Mohamed Simakan, Lukas Klostermann and Castello Lukeba. Benjamin Henrichs and Christopher Lenz should provide the width out wide, while the duo of Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald start in central midfield. Emil Forsberg should get the nod in the number ten’s role behind Benjamin Sesko and Lois Opena upfront.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Gulacsi; Lukeba, Klostermann, Simakan; Henrichs, Schlager, Siewald, Lenz; Forsberg; Sesko, Openda
Key Stats
- VfL Wolfsburg have won the DFB Pokal just once in their history, in 2015.
- RB Leipzig are chasing a third straight DFB Pokal title. Securing the title this season will see them become just the first German side to achieve the feat.
- Should RB Leipzig make the final, they will become just the third side in the competition’s history to make four straight showpiece events.
- VfL Wolfsburg have been knocked out three times from the DFB Pokal by RB Leipzig since 2018.
- RB Leipzig are currently unbeaten in their last 17 DFB Pokal matches. A win on Tuesday will see them match Fortuna Dusseldorf’s record of 18 straight games without a loss in the competition.
Player to Watch
Lois Openda
The Belgian star is the club’s top scorer this season and scored twice in their thrashing of FC Koln at the weekend. With Timo Werner likely to be rested, Openda should be the go-to goal scorer on the night.
Benjamin Sesko will represent a threat of his own. But it is the Leipzig number 17 who is more prolific in front of the goal. His movement and ability to run into the right channels make him a difficult player to mark down. Keeping him quiet should make life easier for the Wolfsburg defence.
Prediction
VfL Wolfsburg 1-2 RB Leipzig
Despite excellent home support, the visitors will go into the clash as favourites and will hope to continue their dominance in the competition. Leipzig have the firepower to cause Wolfsburg’s defence serious trouble and that quality should shine through in the end.
