Press conference with Marco Rose ahead of #B04RBL

RB Leipzig take a trip to face Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Bundesliga matchday 29 as they look to consolidate their place in the table and qualify for the Champions League.

Ahead of the game, head coach Marco Rose spoke to the media and discussed Leverkusen’s strengths as well as his tactical plans for Sunday’s game.

Team news

Christopher Nkunku trained well during the week and is available to play around 30 to 45 minutes.
Emil Forsberg has trained fully with the team and will be in the squad on Sunday.
Yussuf Poulsen returned to full training on Friday and will take part in the final session with the team.
Mo Simakan is back with the team and is available for the Leverkusen game.

Find all the latest team news and injury updates on Xaver Schlager, Peter Gulacsi & Co. here.

Latest team news

MARCO ROSE ON …

… team news:

We’re getting Christo back involved and he could play around 35 to 45 minutes. I don’t think he’ll be in the starting XI. He’s trained well this week and feels better and better. It’s really nice to have him available again.
Yussi trained with the team fully for the first time today. André picked up a knock yesterday, so we’ll see how things look tomorrow, but it’s not something that’s causing us a great deal of worry.
Dani is getting better and better. He’s someone who really hates it when he can’t be involved. He knows that he’s in great shape again.
We’re feeling good. The squad is back to full strength, with the exception of Xaver and Pete.”

Opponent analysis: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Everything to know ahead of #B04RBL

Florian Wirtz is back and is someone who can change a game.
Marco Rose on Florian Wirtz

MARCO ROSE ON …

… Bayer 04 Leverkusen:

“We need a good team performance against a side who are in really good form. They’re really energetic and play with a lot of power and drive. They’re really good on the counter and have a lot of pace in their side. Frimpong, Diaby, Adli are all fantastic players. They’re also really good at the back; they have a lot of physical players who can sweep up danger and start moves.
Florian Wirtz is back and is someone who can change a game. He’s been out for a while, but he’s a fantastic footballer and has a brilliant mentality, he’s like a younger Thomas Müller. Flo has a big future ahead of him. I told Xabi before that he can really look forward to having him in the side as long as he can stay injury free.
Leverkusen will pose a real challenge for us, but it’s one that we’re looking forward to. We’ve also shown in recent weeks that we’re in good form and we’ve built up some momentum with our good results of late. Our cup win against Dortmund was good and we defeated two difficult sides in the league.
Therefore, we’re full of confidence going to Leverkusen. We know that there are only six games left. We’re approaching the season run-in now and we want to achieve our goals.”

MARCO ROSE ON …

… Leverkusen’s win in the Europa League:

They’ll have focused on recovery after their win in the Europa League. They’ll be in good spirits after reaching the semi final and that’s a boost for them.
I’d like to congratulate them on that. They might not be as fresh as us, but it’s up to us to demonstrate that.”

… Leverkusen’s speed:

We have to take responsibility for the ball – that means not giving possession away cheaply. We have to create chances to shoot and play out our moves in their entirety.
We also need to be prepared for the tempo of the game. If we lose the ball, we need to be well positioned and be in a good shape upon turnover of possession. That means that as a team we need to make the right decisions.”

MARCO ROSE ON …

… the tactical approach:

“Kevin Kampl will start the game. He has done really well and carried out what we wanted from him perfectly.
We have the option of using either a back four or a back three. We’ve been successful with three at the back recently, but we know that we have picked up some good results with a different formation in the past. Of course, we also have the option of changing things during the game as well.
I reward performances; that’s important. Mo Simakan played really well against Dortmund and Hertha, and Lukas Klostermann did a good job against Augsburg. We’ll wait and see.
Amadou Haidara is also doing really well at the moment and is very disciplined. We’re well set up at the moment and hopefully it stays that way so we can carry on the way we’ve been playing.”

… the season run-in:

“Every game is important for every team at the moment. Of course we have an eye on how other clubs are doing, but first and foremost we have to take care of our own business. We’re in control of our own destiny this season.
On the whole, we’re feeling good. We have a good week of training behind us and want to achieve our goals come the end of the season.”

MARCO ROSE ON …

… having a whole squad to choose from:

“My job is easier when every player is available and everyone is fit and there is a big group at training. As a coach, you can then play 10 vs. 10. When the players are in top condition they also enjoy it more than when you have to work them back up. In this situation when you have to make difficult team decisions, that’s just part of the job.”

… the death of Heinz Florian Oertel:

“When you think of his name, you hear his voice in your head. My condolences go out to his family; it’s a really difficult situation. I’ll always remember him fondly.”