It’s the last game of the calendar year for Florian Kohfeldt’s men this Saturday at 15:30 CET. The aim for this away fixture in Leipzig is clear: "We want to improve our position in the table going into the Rückrunde. Every point helps, and we want three in Leipzig," said the head coach. WERDER.DE brings you all the relevant information ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Recent encounters: Last season, Werder travelled to Leipzig on Matchday 13, matched their opponents for the duration of the game, but could not score a goal. ‘Die Roten Bullen’ were on the whole more efficient in front of goal and took the lead after half an hour through Naby Keita following a mistake by Thomas Delaney. After the restart, an open game ensued, but Werder passed up the opportunity to equalise and conceded a second shortly before full time. In the return fixture later in the season, the Green-Whites grafted out an important point in the Weser-Stadion. Niklas Moisander tapped in from a rebounded Kruse effort to put Werder ahead on 28 minutes. The chance to go 2-0 on the stroke of half time was not taken by the boys in green, allowing Leipzig to find the equaliser through Ademola Lookman after the break – a result of increased pressure from the visitors. A heated end to the game saw both Timo Werner and Niklas Moisander waste the chance to score a winner and the game ended 1-1.
The coach on the game: Florian Kohfeldt is expecting Leipzig to set up tactically similar to Hoffenheim on Wednesday. "The chances of a similar game to Wednesday’s aren’t bad. They’re an attacking team and they leave lots of spaces open at the back," said the boss, giving his opponent analysis during Friday’s press conference. On Wednesday night, his team showed they have what it takes to crack this kind of system. "We need extremely good control at the back and need to put massive pressure on them when we attack. We have shown that this can work for us against the top teams," said Kohfeldt. The downfall in Werder’s attack in the end was the chance conversion. In Leipzig, that has to change: "I am convinced that the boys will start scoring. It’s important that we create these chances. We will have chances against Leipzig and we will score goals."
Personnel: Milos Veljkovic will be available to Florian Kohfeldt again on Saturday, but there are still question marks surrounding Nuri Sahin’s fitness. "We are not sure yet whether Nuri Sahin can play against Leipzig. Milos Veljkovic on the other hand will definitely be in the squad," explained the coach. Aside from this, Kohfeldt has a big squad to choose from this weekend.
Head-to-head record: In RB Leipzig’s short Bundesliga history there have been four encounters with Werder. The Saxony side have managed to win two, Werder only one (a 3-0 win), with the fourth ending in stalemate. RB Leipzig are the only current Bundesliga team against whom Claudio Pizarro has never won. While the hosts are unbeaten at home this season (six wins and two draws), Werder are the only team in the league to have scored in every game.
The opposition: Leipzig are one of the top teams in the league. With 28 points, they currently sit fourth in the table, but despite this good league position, Ralf Rangnick’s side has experienced a half-season of ups and downs, especially in the Europa League, where RB Leipzig were unable to play to their full potential and exited the competition in the group stage. Furthermore, Rangnick’s men have begun to show uncharacteristic inconsistency – losing four and winning four of the last eight league games. Their attack has a lot of quality however. With Yussuf Poulsen, Kevin Kampl and Timo Werner, Leipzig boast a lot of pace, the kind which can always lead to a goal. At the back, Leipzig have shown signs of vulnerability this season, and will be without Stefan Ilsanker, who was sent off in their game against Bayern.
