RB Leipzig will be looking to respond to the sacking of manager Marco Rose by booking their place in the final of the DFB-Pokal by beating hosts Stuttgart on Wednesday at MHPArena.
Stuttgart defeated Augsburg 1-0 in the quarter-finals on February 4 in a relatively uneventful encounter, while Leipzig also triumphed 1-0 in their quarter final clash having beaten Wolfsburg on February 26.
Match preview
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The home side prevented opponents Augsburg from creating any big chances and restricted them to just 0.51 xG, but the victors also created few opportunities of note, with Deniz Undav producing both of their big chances by the 30th minute.
Die Roten lost 1-0 on Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and the result left them in 11th place with 37 points, though they are only five points from the sixth-placed Conference League qualification spot.
Manager Sebastian Hoeness will be looking for a repeat of his side’s previous encounter with Leipzig on January 15, when his side overcame a 1-0 deficit from the 10th minute to win 2-1.
Hoeness’s team come into the clash in alarming form, with the club failing to triumph in any of their past six outings – losing four times – while conceding 13 goals in those fixtures.
Stuttgart’s only victory in their last six home matches was in the DFB-Pokal against Augsburg, and the hosts were beaten in the other five games, though they did face Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in three of those losses.
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As for Leipzig, Rose was dismissed following his side’s 1-0 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach in the league on Saturday, with the club in sixth place with 42 points, three fewer than fourth-placed Mainz 05.
Rose’s team started the season well, winning eight and losing just three of their first 13 fixtures, but Die Roten Bullen have lost 11, drawn seven and only won eight of their subsequent 26 outings.
Zsolt Low has been appointed as interim boss, and he has previous experience in coaching as an assistant to Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Low inherits a team that have found victories difficult to come by in the past weeks given they have drawn five and lost three of their 11 most recent outings, failing to score on five occasions.
Leipzig’s away form is concerning considering they have been defeated in eight of their last 13 matches on the road while winning just once in that time.
Team News
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Stuttgart’s injury list is not extensive, but with defenders Dan-Axel Zagadou and Josha Vagnoman ruled out, centre-backs Ameen Al-Dakhil and Julian Chabot may be stationed between full-backs Finn Jeltsch and Maximilian Mittelstadt.
Angelo Stiller is certain to be in midfield given his strong passing ability, and he is likely to be partnered by Atakan Karazor.
In attack, while Justin Diehl is injured regulars Enzo Millot, Undav, Chris Fuhrich and Nick Woltemade are all available for selection.
As for the visitors, goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi‘s illness may see him miss out on Wednesday’s match, joining defender Benjamin Henrichs on the sidelines.
Expect centre-backs Willi Orban and Castello Lukeba to be positioned in front of shot-stopper Maartin Vandevoordt.
Considering midfielders Forzan Assan Ouedraogo, Xaver Schlager and Kevin Kampl are not likely to be in the matchday XI, perhaps Nicolas Seiwald and Arthur Vermeeren will be trusted in the middle of the pitch.
Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda have often played together in a front two, and they may be supported by playmaker Xavi Simons against Stuttgart.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Jeltsch, Al-Dakhil, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Millot, Undav, Fuhrich; Woltemade
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Vandevoordt; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Baku, Seiwald, Vermeeren, Xavi; Openda, Sesko
We say: Stuttgart 1-2 RB Leipzig
Both sides come into Wednesday’s game in poor form and it would be surprising if either kept a clean sheet.
Though Leipzig’s record on the road is poor, they could benefit from Low’s fresh ideas, and he will hope that his side can get his reign off to a winning start.
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