RB Leipzig will be determined to return to winning ways in the Bundesliga when they host Freiburg on Sunday.
The visitors, meanwhile, remain in the top half of the table despite failing to win either of their last two league matches.
Match preview
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It proved to be a frustrating five days of domestic football for Leipzig, as they followed up crashing out of the DFB-Pokal to Wolfsburg by losing 2-0 away to Mainz 05, who had previously failed to win any of their opening nine games of the season.
Vaclav Cerny's strike proved enough to send the Wolves through to the third round of Germany's domestic cup, ending Leipzig's recent stranglehold on that competition having lifted it in each of the last two seasons. For Mainz, late goals from Lee Jae-sung and Leandro Barreiro secured their first league victory of the season at the expense of Marco Rose's side.
Die Roten Bullen did manage to bounce back with an impressive 2-1 win away to Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital on Tuesday, which secured their progression to the Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare. They will need to upset the odds and win away to the holders Manchester City on the next matchday to stand a chance of topping Group G, but Rose will be delighted with his players' efforts in Europe so far.
However, with Bayer Leverkusen moving eight points clear of them at the top of the Bundesliga last weekend, the former Borussia Dortmund boss will be acutely aware that his side can not afford to drop any more unnecessary points if they are to move themselves into the title picture at any point this season. As such, Leipzig will be determined to head into the upcoming international break on a high by dispatching Freiburg at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday.
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Freiburg, meanwhile, have not quite performed to their recent standards with four wins, two draws and four defeats from their opening 10 league games, but it should not be forgotten how much Christian Streich has raised the bar during his 12 years in charge at the club.
They have secured successive finishes in the top six of the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history, qualifying for the Europa League on both occasions, and there is no reason they can not make it three times in a row given that sixth-placed Hoffenheim are only four points ahead of Freiburg heading into this weekend's action.
Streich's side showed their usual high levels of spirit and resolve by coming from two goals down to claim a point against Borussia Monchengladbach last time out in the Bundesliga, with second-half strikes from Noah Weisshaupt and Vincenzo Grifo meaning the sides had to share the spoils in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Europa-Park Stadion.
Freiburg also enhanced their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League for the second successive season by thrashing Serbian side Backa Topola 5-0 on Thursday, with themselves and West Ham United moving five points clear of third-placed Olympiacos, who were simultaneously beaten by the Hammers with only two games remaining in Group A.
In the meantime, Streich and his players will be determined to begin putting more points on the board in their domestic division, although they will recognise that they head to Leipzig as considerable underdogs given their opponents' generally consistent form within their own stadium.
Team News
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Leipzig will remain without Dani Olmo, Willi Orban and El Chadaille Bitshiabu due to injury, while forwards Yussuf Poulsen and Timo Werner may not be risked due to an adductor issue and illness respectively.
As such, Rose's only change from their important win against Red Star Belgrade may be bringing Kevin Kampl back into his central midfield area in order to freshen things up a little, meaning the likes of Christoph Baumgartner and Fabio Carvalho may have to be patient from the bench once again.
Freiburg, meanwhile, will travel without Christian Gunter, Daniel Kofi-Kyereh, Maximilian Philipp, Max Rosenfelder and Roland Sallai due to existing injuries.
Having fallen out of favour in recent weeks, target man Michael Gregoritsch may be reduced to making an impact from the bench during the second half, with Merlin Rohl's technical proficiency and work-rate off the ball likely to be favoured for this tough assignment.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Xavi, Schlager, Kampl, Forsberg; Openda, Sesko
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Kubler; Eggestein, Hofler; Doan, Rohl, Grifo; Holer
We say: RB Leipzig 2-0 Freiburg
After suffering two disappointing defeats on the road, Leipzig will have taken plenty of confidence from their hard-earned victory away from home in the Champions League in midweek, and they will be pleased to be back at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday.
Freiburg have had two fewer days' rest than their forthcoming opponents after winning in the Europa League on Thursday, and although we expect them to remain competitive as is usually the case, we can envisage Leipzig securing a relatively routine win.
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Top tip
Brett Curtis
