RB Leipzig vs. Hoffenheim preview: Die Kraichgauer look to bounce back
Hoffenheim face Champions League-hungry Leipzig on Saturday afternoon in hopes of pulling themselves away from the relegation conversation.
| Pellegrino Matarazzo | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim |
RB Leipzig
Leipzig looked lackluster in their previous loss to Leverkusen and fell out of the Champions League places in the process. They need three points on Saturday with a tough schedule to finish out the season against Freiburg, Bayern and hard-working Schalke.
RB play the Breisgau club in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday, which means Marco Rose could rest some of his players. There’s a good chance Christopher Nkunku returns to the starting lineup with Konrad Laimer, due to several injury and suspension issues.
In his press conference, Rose said, "The week hasn't been straight forward because we've had quite a few players who haven't been able to train and have been treated for a few knocks. We're hoping that they'll be able to take part in and complete the final session."
Team News
Dani Olmo, Benjamin Henrichs and Josko Gvardiol are all questionable, while Amadou Haidara and Dominik Szoboszlai are suspended. Peter Gulacsi and Xaver Schlager are out with long-term injuries.
Hoffenheim
After acquiring 10 points from 4 games, Hoffenheim fell back down to earth against Köln on Matchday 30. While their standing in the table looks far improved in 14th place, Die Kraichgauer still need a couple more results to avoid a shocking relegation.
Ozan Kabak didn’t play last week, but he could return to the starting lineup alongside Pavel Kaderabek. It’s a homecoming for Angelino against his former club, but the left wing-back isn’t expected to return to Leipzig following the season.
Pellegrino Matarazzo said, "We were lacking sharpness, team spirit and the basics against Köln, which we have shown in the past weeks. We have reviewed the defeat and clarified how something like that could happen."
Team News
Angelo Stiller is questionable, but Kevin Akpoguma is expected to play even with a broken nose. Kevin Vogt, Grischa Prömel, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Justin Che are all probable outs.