Leipzig vs. Darmstadt preview: Do the Lilies stand a chance?
Tired Leipzig return home after getting knocked out of the Champions League to face Darmstadt, who are coming off a dreadful performance against Augsburg.
Leipzig
Leipzig played admirably in the Champions League knockout stage against Real Madrid, but unluckily bowed out of the competition. Their focus is now solely back on league play, as they hope to jump Dortmund and claim a CL spot for next season.
It took Red Bull a while to get going last week against Bochum, but they now have a salivating next couple of weeks on their hands. They face the three last-place teams of the league in succession.
Marco Rose stated, "I like the way we are currently solving challenges. The courage and the desire to defend - I think that's good. - A lot went wrong in Darmstadt's last game. They will now do everything they can to correct their mistakes and want to show that they can do better.”
Team News
Lukas Klostermann is the only expected absentee. Rose did hint in his presser that rotations will be made. There’s a chance Dani Olmo is rested, as Mohamed Simakan and Eljif Elmas could get a shot at the starting 11.
Darmstadt
Darmstadt put together one of the worst Bundesliga performances in recent memory last weekend against Augsburg in which they conceded five goals in less than 30 minutes. But, Torsten Lieberknecht’s job doesn’t seem to be in question, as he’ll more than likely finish out the year.
Rotations could be made this week in order to bring some freshness to a frustrated group. Lieberknecht was repeatedly asked about Matchday 24 in his presser and stated, “There were individual blackouts that I've never experienced before.”
The trainer also commented, “It wasn't an easy week. But, my feeling tells me that we've managed to get the team back on track. When we got to the training ground, every session was carried out with even more concentration than usual."
Team News
Fraser Hornby, Marvin Mehlem and Clemens Riedel are still in rehab. Fabian Holland, Matthias Bader and Fabian Nürnberger are out, while Matej Maglica is carrying a knock, but is expected to be available.