Gladbach vs. RB Leipzig preview: Marco Rose's former club tour continues
In this salivating matchup with so many different storylines at play, Leipzig travel to Gladbach for a major Bundesliga clash.
| Marco Rose. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Gladbach
Yann Sommer faces a difficult task ahead trying to hold off the likes of Timo Werner and Christopher Nkunku with several key Gladbach players injured in front of him. But, Nico Elvedi is expected to make his return and new signing Julian Weigl will provide a boost to the back line. Gladbach are without a win in their last three matches, but have only dropped all three points against Mainz under Daniel Farke.
Farke stated that, "It's always trickier to prepare when there's been a change in coach, but we know the kind of football Marco Rose plays and the quality of Leipzig's individual players. We're up against a top side. - I think Leipzig will finish in the top four."
Apart from Marco Rose's second consecutive league game against a former club, the main story surrounding this match is with current Gladbach Sporting Director Max Eberl. After 13 years in charge at the club, Eberl displayed his desire to leave Gladbach last season due to burnout as he said he was, "Tired, drained, and fatigued with the world of professional football."
Now, all of a sudden, Eberl is reportedly nearing a move to Leipzig in January which clearly does not sit well with Gladbach supporters. A letter from Gladbach's fan group stated:
"As a media professional, you knew that your appearance would broadcast certain things to the footballing world. (All) while you were fishing for a move to RB Leipzig. This was simply shameful and a slap in the face to anyone actually affected by burnout."
It's safe to say that there will be a lively atmosphere at Borussia-Park.
Team News
Alassane Plea, Florian Neuhaus, Ko Itakura, Tobias Sippel and Tony Jantschke are out.
RB Leipzig
After beating Dortmund last weekend, the second Bundesliga game in Rose's return just had to be against another former team in Gladbach. Rose returns to the club where his coaching career in Germany took off, as he led Gladbach to the knockout stages of the Champions League in 2021.
Excluding their thrashing of Dortmund last weekend, Leipzig have started poorly this season under former trainer Domenico Tedesco. They sit 10th in the table and after their trip to Spain on Wednesday, the Red Bull club remain winless in the Champions League.
Several changes to the starting lineup have already been implemented with Emil Forsberg and Amadou Haidara regaining their roles with Konrad Laimer out for several weeks. Benjamin Henrichs on the other hand, looks to be relegated to the bench under their new trainer. Rose will badly want to win this matchup, as Leipzig search for their third win of the campaign.
Team News
Lukas Klostermann, Dani Olmo and Laimer will not be available due to injuries.