RBL take on the Lilies!
RB Leipzig travel to newly-promoted side SV Darmstadt 98 for matchday 8 of the Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST).
How does Marco Rose rate our next opponents? How did the international break go for the RBL players that represented their countries? And how is the squad shaping up ahead of the match? Our head coach answered all this and more in Friday’s press conference.
We’ve summarised Marco’s most important quotes below.
Squad update
- Dani Olmoand Benjamin Henrichs are set to return to action in our next Bundesliga game against Darmstadt.
- Lukas Klostermann has been training individually due to a minor foot issue. He will be assessed during Friday’s training session, which will determine whether he travels to Darmstadt or not.
- Willi Orban injured his knee when playing for Hungary against the Czech Republic in September and will be out for the foreseeable future.
- El Chadaille Bitshiabu (MCL tear) is still out of action.
- Timo Schlieckis currently doing rehabilitation work at the Athlete Performance Center in Thalgau. The goalkeeper injured his knee during training.
A newly-promoted side in form
SV Darmstadt opponent analysis
Marco Rose on…
…Darmstadt 98
- “It’ll be a tough test for us. Darmstadt have managed to find their feet in the Bundesliga. They looked a bit nervy at the start of the season and relied on long balls, but now they’re playing without fear. They’ve got a good midfield and play with a lot of pace and physicality, which is what you want to do as a newly-promoted side. They’ve won their last two games and will be going into the game on Saturday with a lot of belief as a result.
They’ve got a fantastic little stadium in Darmstadt and there’s a really good atmosphere at the ground. It’s certainly be a challenge for us tomorrow. We’ve got to stand our ground and want to get the three points. We’re aware of how they’re going to play and have prepared well. We want to get back to winning ways with a good performance.”
…Benjamin Henrichs and Dani Olmo returning to action
- “Benny was sidelined with muscle problems after the Bayern game. He’s back in good shape now and hasn’t missed too much football. I don’t think he’s having any issues now, so he’s an option to start the game.
Dani’s been out for a bit longer. We’re going to try and integrate him back into the side with cameos off the bench. He’s obviously a very important player for us and we’ve got a lot of games coming up over the next few weeks.”
Marco Rose on…
…comparisons to last year’s winning streak
- “We’re not far off where we were at the same point last season. We won our first four games in our last block of fixtures, which included a victory in the Champions League and progressing to the next round of the DFB-Pokal. We also picked up two wins in the league.
Then, we played really well against Bayern and came away with a point. Manchester City, as we know, are a quality side. We missed two penalties and didn’t capitalise on the possession we had against Bochum, which meant we didn’t get the result we wanted. If we had, things would be looking better.
Now, we haven’t won in our last three games, which is weighing on us a bit. There are a lot of things that we can be happy with, however. We’ve got the best defensive record in the league, create a lot of chances and score goals. All that means we’ll be able to be able to get back to winning ways quickly. It’s all down to us.”
…how he’s planning on dealing with RBL’s congested schedule
- “We can try and plan something out, but the situation’s become even worse over the last two or three years. It wasn’t the case in the past that you’d have hardly any time to rest between matches. There are a few things that the team would like to do with the boys that used to be the norm, like visiting fans’ Christmas parties, but there’s no time for that sort of thing now.
We could do that, but then the boys would hardly get any sleep, which doesn’t make things any easier. It’s all about keeping the boys healthy and playing quality football. I think that it’s become noticeable at international level, but that’s just the way it is. We’ve got a really good medical and rehabilitation team.
We’re already making arrangements for the training camps in winter and summer, as well as doing some squad planning. It’s an ongoing process, but we’ve also got to find the time to take our foot of the gas. Otherwise things start getting really hard for the boys.”
It’s always important to have a well-balanced squad. Experienced role models are part of this. That’s why I’m very pleased with the boys and I’m happy that Kevko has extended his contract.
Marco Rose on…
…Kevin Kampl’s contract extension
- “It’s always important to have a well-balanced squad. You can’t survive at this level with just young players. We talk a lot about our top talents that we’ve picked up, but the boys who have been playing here for years are equally important.
I feel that we’ve managed to create a good structure overall. Experienced role models are part of this – they demonstrate to the young players what it means to play football here in Leipzig. They show them what we demand and what our goals are. That’s why I’m very pleased with the boys and I’m happy that Kevko has extended his contract.”