RB Leipzig will be looking to keep up the pressure on the top two when they host Freiburg on their return to Bundesliga action this weekend.
The Red Bulls are a point behind Borussia Dortmund and five adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, while Freiburg crept back into the top half before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Match preview
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Leipzig had momentum on their side when football across Europe was brought to a halt in March after going seven matches without a defeat.
Indeed, Julian Nagelsmann's men beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in their most recent outing to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time ever.
While the resumption of UEFA's flagship competition still seems a long way off, the Bundesliga will become the first of Europe's major leagues to resume this weekend.
Leipzig did play out back-to-back league draws prior to their European win over Tottenham, so Nagelsmann will be keen to see his side get back to winning ways in Saturday's behind-closed-doors clash.
Freiburg will not make things easy for their opponents, though, having returned to winning ways themselves last time out with a 3-1 home victory over Union Berlin.
That win lifted Christian Streich's side into eighth place, just a point behind Schalke 04 in seventh place, which is enough for a Europa League qualifying berth.
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However, Freiburg were being discussed as possible top-four outsiders following a strong start to the season that saw them occupy fourth place after gameweek 12.
They have since won only four of their last 13 matches, including that battling victory at home to Union on March 7.
That was a long time ago now, of course, and it remains to be seen just what standard both sets of players will be in following a prolonged break.
What is for certain is that Leipzig will need star man Timo Werner fit and firing right from the off if they are to remain hot on the heels of Bayern, who have the disadvantage of playing the following day.
With six clean sheets in their last seven matches in all competitions, Nagelsmann's men have a perfect platform to push on over the remaining weeks of this disjointed season.
RB Leipzig's Bundesliga form: DDWWDD
RB Leipzig's form (all competitions): WWWDDW
Freiburg's Bundesliga competition form: LWDLLW
Team News
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Werner was struggling with a thigh injury in March but is understood to be fully recovered in time for the big Bundesliga restart.
Fellow attacker Emil Forsberg has tonsillitis and is expected to sit this one out, however, and in-demand defender Dayot Upamecano is suspended.
There are also doubts over the fitness of Marcel Sabitzer and Patrick Schick, who have unspecified minor injuries, while Ibrahima Konate is not fully fit but should still start.
As for Freiburg, Christian Gunter and Manuel Gulde have recovered from respective muscle and ankle injuries.
Lukas Kubler underwent knee surgery earlier this year and is still on the comeback trail, though Streich otherwise has a fully fit squad to choose from.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Klostermann, Konate, Halstenberg; Mukiele, Laimer, Sabitzer, Angelino; Schick, Nkunku; Werner
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Koch, Gulde, Heintz; Gunter, Hofler, Haberer, Schmid; Waldschmidt, Sallai, Holer
We say: RB Leipzig 1-0 Freiburg
Leipzig have drawn too many games during their ongoing unbeaten run and need to hit the ground running if they are to get their title charge back on track. Freiburg have slipped down the division since their strong start, but they remain contenders for a Europa League spot and will not be easy to overcome.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a RB Leipzig win with a probability of 68.98%. A draw had a probability of 17.3% and a win for Freiburg had a probability of 13.72%.
The most likely scoreline for a RB Leipzig win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.54%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.49%) and 3-1 (7.77%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (7.8%), while for a Freiburg win it was 1-2 (3.92%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood.
