Will RB Leipzig still play in Europe in the second half of the season? Wednesday night’s game at Club Bruges is all or nothing.
Bruges / Leipzig – Plays RB Leipzig still European after the turn of the year? This question will be clarified this evening when the Saxons have to compete at Club Brugge (9 p.m. / Dazn). The fact is, there are no excuses this time. A win is a must!
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In the first leg, the joy was only great for a short time when Christopher Nkunku (24) brought RB Leipzig 1-0 up in the fifth minute. © PICTURE POINT / S. Sunday
It should be another turning point after a shocking Bundesliga appearance: After the lackluster 0-2 at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at the weekend, the Red Bulls want to “offer fans good football again and give them something back with a success,” said Emil Forsberg (30) on Tuesday at the press conference.
The Swede continues: “Above all, the physical attitude was not good against Hoffenheim and we can’t accept that. We have to do a lot better against Bruges.”
The man who was last responsible for the team’s rollercoaster rides will not be on the bench in Belgium. Jesse Marsch (47), like keeper Peter Gulacsi (31), was infected with the corona virus.
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Instead, Josep Martinez (23) will celebrate his Champions League debut in the box of the Leipziger: “Josep has an incredible amount of quality. He will represent Pete well. In terms of play, he is so good that we won’t overturn the entire match schedule,” said Co -Trainer Achim Beierlorzer (54) on the changed personnel, who in turn will represent the American on the sidelines.
It is also a premiere for the 54-year-old as head coach in the European Cup. “Jesse would obviously love to be in Bruges. We cannot change the situation and we will accept it as it is. I will do my part to make the game as successful as possible.”
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Club Bruges was extremely toxic in the Red Bull Arena and often brought the RB offensive into trouble. © PICTURE POINT / S. Sunday
In the minds of the players, of course, there is also the fact that the first leg defeat at the Red Bull Arena (1: 2) played a large part in the precarious group situation. The problems that arose in September, as you saw at the weekend, have still not been fully dealt with.
On Wednesday evening you want to show a different face. Beierlorzer: “We still know from the first leg in Leipzig how intensely Club Bruges act and go head-to-head. They involved us in a lot of duels and we have to be prepared for that.”
Problem: The team almost sets itself up in the Jan Breydel Stadium. Dani Olmo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Yussuf Poulsen, who is still going to Bruges as a motivator, are definitely out. The hope is almost on the young substitutes Brian Brobbey, Ilaix Moriba or Hugo Novoa, who otherwise count as joker candidates.
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“It would be a great success for all of us if we qualified for the Europa League in the extremely difficult Champions League group and we will give everything for that, because we absolutely want to winter internationally,” said Beierlorzer. Hopefully the team also knows that a performance like on Saturday will definitely not be enough.
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Cover photo: PICTURE POINT / S. Sonntag
