After a polarising pair of results over the past two weeks, VfL Bochum now welcome RB Leipzig to the Ruhrstadion in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bochum were able to do something Leipzig could not, beat Bayern Munich two weeks ago, but Thomas Letsch's side fell to defeat last weekend, as both sides will be looking to bounce back from recent disappointments.
Match preview
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There will have been a huge comedown in the Bochum ranks a week ago, as the high of beating champions Bayern 3-2 here on home soil was followed up by a thrashing at Borussia-Park.
Borussia Monchengladbach's 5-2 success was just the second defeat inflicted upon Bochum in seven games so far in 2024, with the other coming away at Borussia Dortmund.
That stat is made even more impressive when it is taken into account that Bochum have faced two of the top three in that time and beat both of them.
However, a hefty defeat means their goals against column has taken another beating, as only bottom-placed Darmstadt have conceded more than Bochum's 46.
The defeat did see them slip to 15th, just one place above the drop zone, but with the bottom three completely cut adrift by eight points, relegation is still not a genuine fear at this point for Letsch and his players.
Only five points separate Hoffenheim in seventh and Bochum in 15th, so a late push for Europe is still more likely than being sucked into the relegation battle.
Home form has been key to the number of points Bochum have amassed this season; scoring in all 11 matches at the Ruhrstadion and losing just once.
After losing to Bayern last weekend, Leipzig will look to bounce back instantly to keep the pressure on Dortmund in the hunt for the top four.
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Leipzig's next four games all come against the current bottom four, so 12 points will be the objective and would more than likely see them rise above Edin Terzic's men in the process.
Die Roten Bullen are now the big favourites for fourth despite still only sitting fifth, but a one-point gap between the two sides and with some favourable fixtures on the horizon, it is no surprise Leipzig are fancied.
If Marco Rose's men can repeat last week's performance despite defeat, they will have a great chance of doing so, as it was only a stoppage-time strike from Harry Kane which denied them a point at the Allianz Arena.
Ultimately though, it was another defeat that means their record in 2024 reads seven points from seven matches, while their Champions League journey is likely to end at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
While one eye will be on their trip to Real Madrid, they cannot afford to take their upcoming opponents lightly, even if they have won eight of the previous 10 encounters.
Team News
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Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann saved two penalties in the reverse fixture at the Red Bull Arena, but after receiving an absurd fifth booking between the sticks last weekend, he will miss out with suspension.
Backup Niclas Thiede had returned to training this week after a brief absence, but now requires surgery on a broken finger, so Letsch will hand a debut to veteran Andreas Luthe after his move from Kaiserslautern.
Erhan Masovic is also suspended for Bochum, while injuries to Danilo Soares, Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Tim Oermann and Patrick Osterhage will rule them all out.
Yellow card accumulation will also see Leipzig's Xaver Schlager suspended for this clash, while Yussuf Poulsen is a doubt in attack due to a muscular problem after training alone this week.
Leipzig will be able to welcome back their number one goalkeeper though, as Peter Gulacsi has recovered from an abdominal issue after returning to training recently, but Lukas Klostermann's hip injury will keep him out for another month.
That is likely to see Janis Blaswich drop out, while Mohamed Simakan, who come into the side against Bayern, is set to start once more.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Luthe; Gamboa, Schlotterbeck, Ordets, Bernardo; Losilla, Stoger, Bero; Asano, Broschinski, Kwarteng
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum; Haidara, Kampl; Dani Olmo, Simons; Openda, Sesko
We say: VfL Bochum 2-3 RB Leipzig
Leipzig's form has not been ideal in 2024, with just seven points to show for their efforts in the past seven games, but the signs have been there that they can put a good run together.
Everything came tumbling down for Bochum last week as they conceded five to an out-of-form Gladbach side, and while goals are likely in this one, another defeat for the hosts is too.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
