“We’re all in this together”

Matchday 3 in the Champions League!

RB Leipzig host reigning Serbian champions Crvena zvezda at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday (21:00 CEST). RBL currently sit second in Group G, after picking up three points from their first two games, whereas our next opponents are in third place following a defeat against Manchester City and a draw with Young Boys.

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Head coach Marco Rose and midfielder Xaver Schlager spoke to the media in Tuesday’s press conference. We’ve gathered their most important quotes below.
 

Squad update

• All of RBL’s players are fit apart from Willi Orban and El Chadaille Bitshiabu.
   

Marco Rose on…

…Yussuf Poulsen’s contract extension

• “He’s a player who represents the club in everything he does. He fully relates to the team and to Leipzig as a city. Yussi’s come a long way since he’s been here – from playing in the 3. Liga to the Champions League semi-finals. It’s an unbelievable story and we’re happy that he’ll be staying here for a bit longer.

  Yussi is a top bloke who always makes an effort to help out the younger players. He takes on a lot of responsibility on the pitch and works hard. Hopefully he’ll find his shooting boots again soon. His willingness to work off the ball and ability to recognise pressing situations is excellent. He’s also a loving father and has a great reputation in the dressing room. It feels right to call him a model student. He’s seen and heard everything over the years.” 
   

…the players who have recently come back from injury

• “The game against Darmstadt was important for us. We rested Xaver Schlager and he was able to recharge his batteries a bit. We also gave a couple of our most important players, namely Doudou Haidara and Benny Henrichs, a bit more gametime. The fact that they had to come off early meant that we could give other players some minutes. Dani Olmo will be more involved tomorrow than he was against SVD. Apart from Willi Orban and El Chadaille Bitshiabu, everyone’s fit for the game tomorrow.”
   

…the opponent’s trademarks

• “We’ve obviously watched the opposition play. There are clearly things they like to do off the ball, they often like to man mark. They put their bodies on the line when they’re defending and still manage to bring a lot of power to the table when they’re on the attack. Peter Olayinka, Cherif Ndiaye and In-beom Hwang are all guys who play with a lot of pace. They love the contest, so we’re expecting it to be hard work tomorrow. We need to be patient if we want to make the right decisions.”
   

Marco Rose on…

…the atmosphere at the ground

• “I think that our fans are always an important factor, whether we’re playing at home or away. It’s important that we celebrate success together, aim for the same goals and recognise that, even when the going gets tough, we’re all in this together. It’ll be a tricky game tomorrow, so it’s even more important that we stick together. We’ve got to show how much we want to win on the pitch.

  Our fans have good instincts. They’re there when we need them to be. It’s unbelievably fun to be able to play Champions League football here in Leipzig. That’s why we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
   

…Xaver Schlager’s attacking threat

• “He could shoot more often. Obviously, we were playing on AstroTurf in Bern, but I think he knows that he’s good at shooting. You could see from his celebration that he doesn’t score many goals. It was like he’d just seen the Berlin Wall get knocked down! That being said, I’d love to see it happen again.”
   

…the situation up front 

• “We worked pretty well during the international break. Now, there’s a lot of competition and I’ve got to make some decisions. I’ve got a choice of some top strikers. Timo Werner can play on the wing. Lois Openda’s been in the goals, but can still get better. Yussuf Poulsen brings stability and physicality to the side.

  That’s why everyone’s got to show that they’re on it. We’ve got a lot of options again and there’s definitely going to be some rotation. Everyone’s going to get some gametime. To be honest, there aren’t any automatic picks anywhere on the pitch.”

Xaver Schlager on…

…his wellbeing

• “I’m feeling good. I was a bit ill. My body was at its limit and the rest has done me good. I’ve found the amount of games recently exhausting, but now I feel fit again.” 
   

…our next opponents, Crvena zvezda

• “I don’t have the best memories of Belgrade. I played against them at Salzburg and they knocked us out of the Champions League qualifiers. They’re a tough side to play against.

  They’re from a small league, so they’re going to be pumped up. They live for games like this. It means that they’ll be able to go the extra mile. They’ll come into the game tomorrow with a lot of energy and give it their all.”
   

…healthy competition

• “It’s good that everyone’s back fit. The more players there are, the more competition for places there’s going to be. It means that everyone’s got to bring their A game. The fact that we can rotate things in the middle of the park also helps. Healthy competition invigorates a team, it pushes us all. I’m glad that we’ve got so much depth.”