RB Leipzig will look to maintain their place in the top four of the Bundesliga standings when they take on a stuttering Wolfsburg at Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts will be out for revenge here, having already lost to this opponent twice this season, with the first defeat knocking them out of the DFB-Pokal while the second was in the reverse fixture back in November.
Match preview
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RB Leipzig are in a fierce battle with Borussia Dortmund for the fourth spot in the Bundesliga, with both teams currently locked on 53 points apiece, although Die Roten Bullen are ahead on goal difference.
Marco Rose's side claimed a dominant 5-1 victory over FC Koln, followed by a goalless draw against Mainz 05, and then secured another convincing win, defeating Freiburg 4-1 in their last three matches respectively.
Lois Openda shone in Leipzig's commanding performance against Freiburg on the road in gameweek 28, notching up two goals and two assists. The last time a Leipzig player was involved in four goals in a single game was back in 2020 when Christopher Nkunku provided four assists against Schalke.
That result extended Die Roten Bullen's unbeaten league run to five matches in succession and moved them back into the top four for the first time since January. They will now return to the Red Bull Arena, where they have kept four consecutive clean sheets and have taken 13 points from the last 15 on offer.
In their last 15 matches against teams from the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, Leipzig have scored 32 goals while conceding just nine; they have amassed 33 points and secured 10 victories during this period.
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Meanwhile, Wolfsburg are enduring their worst league season since 2017-18 when they ended in 16th place, currently on 28 points in as many games and just five points above Mainz, who occupy the relegation playoff spot.
Die Wolfe's recent form has been inconsistent, with one win in their last three matches; they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Augsburg, bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen, but then fell to a 3-1 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach in their latest outing.
Against M'gladbach, Wolfsburg took the lead through Ridle Baku just seven minutes into the match, but they were completely outplayed in the second period, conceding two goals in the space of five minutes shortly after the restart before Rocco Reitz put the game to bed two minutes from the end.
Wolfsburg's poor form this season led to the axing of Niko Kovac at the end of last month, with Austrian coach Ralph Hasenhuttl being brought in to replace the Croatian. Hasenhuttl debuted with a victory against Werder Bremen but was unable to keep the momentum going, losing to the Foals last week. Reports this week have also indicated that their managing director Marcel Schafer could be set to leave the club in the summer, with Leipzig rumoured to be his likely destination.
In their last six away games in the Bundesliga, Die Wolfe have managed just a solitary win along with three draws and two losses, scoring six goals while conceding seven during that time.
Team News
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Denmark international Yussuf Poulsen was forced off during Leipzig's stalemate against Mainz at the end of last month due to a muscle injury and will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.
The only other absentee for the hosts here is David Raum, who received his fifth yellow card of the season during the match against Freiburg and will serve his one-match suspension this weekend.
Openda has been irreplaceable for Die Roten Bullen this season, currently topping the team with 21 goals and he will almost certainly lead the line in this one alongside Benjamin Sesko.
In the worst-case scenario, Wolfsburg will be without as many as six players for this match, starting with Maxence Lacroix, who is still suspended after being shown a straight red in the side's 2-0 win over Werder Bremen at the end of last month.
Koen Casteels is still out with a shoulder injury, which should see Pavao Pervan continue between the sticks. Kevin Paredes and Lukas Nmecha are ruled out with muscle injuries, while Rogerio is struggling with a knock and is flagged as a doubt.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Simakan, Orban, Lukeba, Henrichs; Haidara, Schlager, Olmo, Simons; Openda, Sesko
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Pervan; Maehle, Bornauw, Jenz, Gerhardt; Baku, Svanberg, Arnold, Wimmer; Tomas, Wind
We say: RB Leipzig 2-0 Wolfsburg
While RB Leipzig have lost the last two games against this opponent, both of those games were at Volkswagen Arena. Back at home and in good form, we feel the hosts will take all three points in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
