Saturday’s Bundesliga action rounds off at the Red Bull Arena with a tasty-looking showdown between two top-six sides, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim.
Although the two teams are separated by six points in the standings after the opening 14 matches of the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign, the encounter between RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim has all the makings of a top-four six-pointer.
Leipzig enter the weekend in fourth place, three points behind perennial champions Bayern Munich and two adrift of surprise package VfB Stuttgart ahead of those two sides meeting on Sunday. Therefore, a win for Marco Rose’s side against Hoffenheim and a draw in the game at Allianz Arena could even send Die Roten Bullen as high as second behind table-toppers Bayer Leverkusen.
The hosts’ have hit rich vein form lately, with three wins in a row in all competitions, but Saturday’s visitors Hoffenheim may provide a bit of a tricky test. The visitors’ are only two places and six points behind Leipzig ahead of their trip to the Red Bull Arena and ended their five-game winless skid in last Friday’s 3-1 home win over Bochum.
Leipzig did the double over Hoffenheim last season and will be looking to grab the three points again this weekend. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over these two sides ahead of this highly important matchup in the Bundesliga at the Red Bull Arena.
Team News and Tactics
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig trio Dani Olmo (shoulder) and Willi Orban (knee) all remain long-term absentees due to injury. Summer signing El Chadaille Bitshiabu took to the field for the first time in the UEFA Youth League in midweek following a lengthy spell out with a knee injury, and the teenage defensive sensation could feature in the first-team squad on Saturday.
Timo Werner is also available for selection after shaking off a groin issue coming off the bench against Young Boys, although coach Marco Rose may continue to prefer the robust Yussuf Poulsen as the attacking spearhead and in-form striker Lois Openda.
Die Roten Bullen had already booked their place in the Champions League knockout rounds when they beat Young Boys 2-1 on Wednesday, and a number of players were handed a rest as a result of rotation.
In attack, Xavi Simons and former Hoffenheim man Christoph Baumgartner could be rotated back into starting spots on the flanks, with Emil Forsberg and Fabio Carvalho making way. Rose has no reason to tinker with his midfield double pivot of Amadou Haidara and Xaver Schlager, whose composure, experience, and quality on the ball serve as key factors in Leipzig’s dominance in possession.
Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was selected ahead of Janis Blaswich in midweek, but the latter could return in between the sticks here. Mohamed Simakan and Castello Lukeba will also feature in central defence at the back, while Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum will play full-backs.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Baumgartner, Haidara, Schlager, Simons; Openda, Poulsen
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim are still unable to call upon the injured quartet of Bambase Conte (unknown), Marco John (knee), Dennis Geiger (groin) and Mergim Berisha (knee), while Kevin Akpoguma will return from a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation and is set to start at centre-back alongside John Brooks and Ozan Kabak.
American head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has also confirmed that Maximilian Beier, Julian Justvan, Diadie Samassekou, and Kevin Vogt have not practised due to an illness bug and have emerged as significant doubts for the weekend.
With first-choice striker Wout Weghorst definitely out with a muscular injury, Ihlas Bebou could be handed a rare start up front to support Andrej Kramaric, who has seven goals to his name this term. Robert Skov could come on the left wing after starting as a substitute last weekend.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Baumann; Kabak, Brooks, Akpoguma; Kaderabek, Promel, Grillitsch, Becker, Skov; Bebou, Kramaric
Key Stats
- RB Leipzig have won their last four matches against Hoffenheim in all competitions.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in six of RB Leipzig’s last seven Bundesliga games.
- Die Roten Bullen have won their last five at home in all competitions.
- Hoffenheim have found the back of the net in 18 straight Bundesliga matches dating back to last season.
Player to Watch
Lois Openda
Signed from RC Lens this summer for around £35 million, Openda has been in electric form for Leipzig this campaign, making 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring on 14 occasions, and registering three assists in that period. He has kept out the likes of Timo Werner, Yussuf Poulsen, and Benjamin Sesko and becoming Marco Rose’s go-to frontman. He will certainly be one player to keep an eye on in this game.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 3-1 Hoffenheim
This is a match that promises goals given both teams respective performances on home vs. away soil. RB Leipzig have been excellent at the Red Bull Arena and are averaging at least three goals scored per league appearance.
On the other hand, fellow top-six hopefuls Hoffenheim are playing some of their best football in recent times and will arrive full of confidence. It might not be enough to ensure they can get anything from the game. But do not expect this defensive sound to get steamrolled by Leipzig this Saturday afternoon.