Leipzig vs. Bochum preview: The Thomas Letsch era begins
In Thomas Letsch's first game in charge of relegation-bound Bochum, he faces a daunting away test against a hungry Leipzig side.
RB Leipzig
After their poor start that looks eerily similar to last season, Marco Rose has an endless amount of questions to answer. To give the Red Bull club another headache, news has broken that Christopher Nkunku completed a medical with Chelsea to potentially join the English side next summer.
But for now, Rose will need Nkunku to step things up on the attacking end and it's hard to find a more salivating matchup than Bochum. Leipzig haven't been their usual selves offensively and sit 12th in the league after a blowout loss against Gladbach before the international break.
Leipzig are still searching for their most potent starting lineup, as nearly every position on the pitch is up for grabs. There is a logjam in midfield, while David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs haven't exactly impressed to begin the season on the outside. But, Bochum coming to town could provide the needed spark to turn everything around.
Rose stated that, "Bochum will try to score on the counter attack, which means that we have to be secure when we're going forward. They have some good players in their squad; we have to be prepared and resilient."
Team News
Lukas Klostermann, Dani Olmo and Konrad Laimer remain unavailable, while Yussuf Poulsen is now out with an infection.
VfL Bochum
Through Matchday 7, Bochum are off to the second worst start in Bundesliga history with only one point recorded and an abysmal goal difference of -14. Thomas Reis is gone, as Thomas Letsch takes over from the Netherlands to complete the formidable task of turning this ship around.
Several usual starters are out of the squad with injuries, as Manuel Riemann will likely again be forced to stand strong against an onslaught on goal. But, Letsch is hoping the new managerial boost can provide the club and their faithful supporters with a bit of hope.
In a press conference, Letsch said that, "When a new coach comes in, the guys who have played less sense their chance. The competitive situation is great, which is very good for us as a club. - I talked to (Rose) on the phone within the last few days, he congratulated me on the new job. But, we didn't talk much about the game."
Team News
Konstantinos Stafylidis, Takuma Asano, Dominique Heintz and Paul Grave are all out with injuries.