LIPSIA – BAYER LEVERKUSEN | Saturday 3:30pm
On paper it should be a direct clash for Europe, as it was last season when both sides had no trouble finishing in the top four. Today, however, Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are separated by seven points due to a less than exciting start. But if on the one hand the Roten Bullen, regenerated by the change of bench, are trying to recover positions and are now four points away from the Champions League zone, the Aspirins are not able to leave the bottom of the standings and not even the arrival of Xabi Alonso in place of the exonerated Seoane seems to have had the desired effects. This challenge, then, could be conditioned by the delicate cup commitments they both face next week, on the final day of the group stage of the continent’s top competition.
Leipzig on Tuesday inflicted their first defeat of the season on European champions Real Madrid, who were beaten 3-2 at the Red Bull Arena. It was a result that allowed Marco Rose’s men to afford a draw against Shakhtar Donetsk to snatch a pass to the round of 16. Against Carlo Ancelotti’s Blancos, French striker Nkunku, already decisive in the sensational comeback from 3-0 down to 3-3 in the last Bundesliga match against Ausgburg, again stole the show. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, avoided defeat in Madrid’s crunch 2-2 draw with Atletico, but can no longer enter the knockout phase. All the Rossoneri have to do is beat Club Brugge and hope Porto can stop the Colchoneros to overtake Simeone’s ‘Cholo’ Simeone’s side in third place and relegate them to the Europa League.
Moussa Duaby
The Prediction
Xabi Alonso’s adventure at the helm of Bayer Leverkusen began with a resounding 4-0 win against Schalke 04, but the enthusiasm was short-lived: heavy defeats to Porto and Eintracht Frankfurt again exposed the Aspirins’ limitations in the non-possession phase. In order to get a result at home to Leipzig, unbeaten for eight consecutive matches, a feat will be needed, although the upcoming European commitments make this match more open than one might think. It is highly likely that there will be at least three goals in total in the Red Bull Arena encounter, surely the highlight of the day.
Leipzig-Bayer Leverkusen matchday squad
- LIPSIA (4-2-3-1): Blaswich; Simakan, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Haidara, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Werner; André Silva.
- BAYER LEVERKUSEN (3-4-3): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Andrich, Amiri, Bakker; Diaby, Schick, Hudson-Odoi.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
