RB Leipzig vs. Aston Villa preview: Team news and predicted lineups
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It's safe to say that RB Leipzig's European campaign hasn't gone according to plan, as they are one of only three teams with zero points from five Champions League games.
The pressure was mounting on head coach Marco Rose after a 5-1 Bundesliga defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg left Leipzig without a win in six consecutive matches.
However, a spirited 3-0 DFB-Pokal win over Eintracht Frankfurt and a 2-0 Bundesliga win over struggling Holstein Kiel last week have given the under-pressure Leipzig coach some breathing space.
Another important step in the right direction for Leipzig would be to pick up their first Champions League win of the season against an Aston Villa side who have won their last two games against Brentford and Southampton.
The Villans have a respectable 10 points in the Champions League, having conceded just once and beaten the likes of Bayern Munich so far.
As Leipzig coach Marco Rose has pointed out on a number of occasions, his squad has been hampered by a lengthy injury list, and that will continue to be the case against Villa. Bitshiabu (muscle), Castello (suspended), Elmas (hamstring), Ouédraogo (thigh), Poulsen (thigh), Raum (ankle) and Xavi (ankle) are all out.
Hause (knee) and Ramsey (hamstring) are sidelined for the English visitors.
Click here to see our predicted RB Leipzig - Aston Villa lineups.
