German giants RB Leipzig will host fellow Bundesliga outfit St. Pauli at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday in the second round of the DFB-Pokal.
RB Leipzig returned to winning ways in their last outing, and they will now look to build on it when they host St. Pauli, who have been winless in their last four outings across competitions.
The home team are second in the Bundesliga with 20 points in their six outings thanks to four wins and two draws. While they are yet to register a win in the UEFA Champions League, Leipzig are unbeaten in the league, and they will now look to progress further in the DFB-Pokal.
RB Leipzig defeated Essen 4-1 in the first round of the cup competition and now face a St. Pauli side who are struggling to get going in the new campaign. The visitors are 16th in the Bundesliga table, and they have only won one out of their eight league outings.
While they did get the better of Hallescher in the first round, Leipzig will present a completely different challenge. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig will be without the services of Peter Gulacsi, Xavi Simons, Xaver Schlager, David Raum, Assan Ouedraogo and Nicolas Seiwald. Marco Rose might have quite a few injury concerns, but he still has a strong squad to choose from. His team will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Maarten Vandevoordt is expected to start in goal.
Benjamin Henrichs and Lutsharel Geertruida should be the full-backs, while Willi Orban and Lukas Klostermann will feature in the heart of the defence. Christoph Baumgartner and Eljif Elmas will feature out wide on the flanks, while Amadou Haidara and Arthur Vermeeren will look to control the tempo of the game from a more central role in midfield. In attack, Benjamin Sesko will pair up with Yussuf Poulsen.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Vandevoordt; Geertruida, Klostermann, Orban, Henrichs; Baumgartner, Haidara, Vermeeren, Elmas; Sesko, Poulsen
St. Pauli
The visitors will be without the services of Ben Alexander Voll, Elias Saad, Connor Metcalfe, Sascha Burchert, Simon Zoller, and Soren Ahlers. Alexander Blessin surely has tough decisions to make with a few of his starts out injured.
St. Pauli will line up in a 3-4-3 formation, where Nikola Vasilj will be in goals. The back three will be made up of Hauke Wahl, Eric Smith, and Karol Mets. Manolis Saliakas and Philipp Treu will feature as the wing-backs for the away team. They will look to contribute on both ends of the pitch but are expected to have a tough day dealing with the opposition’s wide players.
In the centre of the park, Jackson Irvine will pair up with Carlo Boukhalfa. The duo will look to shield the back line and ensure they do not allow Leipzig to dominate the ball too deep in their half. Oladapo Afolayan and Andreas Albers will provide width to their attacks, and Johannes Eggestein will continue to lead the line for them.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Irvine, Boukhalfa, Treu; Afolayan, Eggestein, Albers
Key Stats
- Interestingly, St. Pauli have a superior head-to-head record, having won three out of the five matches between the two teams.
- RB Leipzig have only won once against the visitors which came back in November 2014.
- St. Pauli have only won one out of their last nine games in all competitions. (six defeats, two draws)
- Leipzig have an impressive home record as they have unbeaten in 10 out of their last 12 home games. (seven wins, three draws)
- The visitors have been beaten in three of their four most recent away games.
Player to Watch
Benjamin Sesko
Sesko was one of the most sought-after players during the last summer transfer window. Some of the biggest clubs in Europe wanted to sign the forward, but he decided to stay at RB Leipzig. He has made a decent start to the new campaign with six goals and three assists in his 12 outings, but he will be eager to add to it in this fixture and is the one to watch out for.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 2-1 St. Pauli
While the head-to-head record is in St. Pauli’s favour, their recent form has not been that great. Meanwhile, their opposition might have struggled in the Champions League but they have been on a roll in the domestic football.
RB Leipzig are unlikely to have much trouble dealing with a team that is on the opposite end of the league table. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.