Yeni Malatyaspor
Ankaragücü
Leeds United
Sheffield Utd
B. Dortmund
St. Pauli
Alaves
R. Valladolid
Monaco
Lille
What a way to celebrate 250 Bundesliga games!
RB Leipzig kick off the final round of fixtures before the winter break with a trip to Wolfsburg on Saturday (15:30 CET).
How does Marco Rose rate our next opponents? Who’s fit for the game at the weekend? Our head coach answered all this and more in today’s press conference.
Squad update | 24th November
- Timo Werner will miss the game against Wolfsburg due to adductor problems.
- Benjamin Sesko has been experiencing neck and back pain. It’s not yet clear whether he’ll play against Wolfsburg.
- Willi Orban has been training individually.
- El Chadaille Bitshiabu has been partially integrated back into team training following his MCL injury.
- Kevin Kampl is also completing parts of team training at the moment after having ankle problems. He’s also a doubt for Saturday’s game.
- Peter Gulacsi is training individually due to a bruised toe. He won’t be available for the match against Wolfsburg.
- Timo Schlieck is fit again and back in training.
LONG-TERM INJURIES
- Dani Olmo is out for several weeks due to a acromioclavicular joint separation. He has already undergone an operation and is working towards his return.
Marco Rose on…
…the game against Wolfsburg
- “We watched over the Pokal game again. We didn’t press with enough intensity off the ball and we weren’t very decisive with our passing. Nico Kovac has rotated a lot, so we don’t really know what’s in store for us tomorrow.
We have the chance to play better football tomorrow. If we get chances to hit them on the break, we’ve got to use them more effectively. It’s all about picking up important points in the league. We’ve managed to get ourselves into a good position and we want to stay there.“
…the players who’ve returned from international duty
- “The boys were in a good mood when they came back to Leipzig. It wasn’t just the three Austrians, since Xavi and the Netherlands finally sealed qualification for the EUROs, as did Benjamin Sesko with Slovenia. Emil Forsberg also scored a beautiful goal. The German lads are happy to be back, too.
I’m especially pleased for Nicolas Seiwald, since he played really well during the international break. We have faith in him. We know how much ability he has and what he can produce.”
Marco Rose on…
…Dani Olmo’s comeback
- “We play our last game of the calendar year on 13th December, which isn’t too far away. His operation went well and he’s not in as much pain now. He’ll be able to get back playing football relatively soon.
At the end of the day, we’ll have to wait until he doesn’t have any issues with his shoulder when he’s competing for the ball. It’s hard to say whether he’ll play for us again this year, but we’ll do everything we can.“
…his aims before the winter break
- “We want to end the year on a high. We’re doing a lot of things well. It’s all about doing the little things in every aspect of the game. I think we’ve been keeping things pretty tight on the whole. We’re winning the ball a lot and our pressing has been good.
That being said, there are always things we can improve, like our intensity and positioning. We recover well after losing the ball, but it’s an area where we want to be more consistent.
We have periods where we look good in possession every match. Now, it’s a case of making sure we’re in control for longer stretches and putting games to bed. We want to be able to turn things around in games that don’t go our way initially, too.”
We’ve managed to get ourselves into a good position and we want to stay there.
Marco Rose on…
…the Germany national team’s form
- “I’m staying positive, because I want the national team to be successful. Things aren’t looking good at the moment, but I think that it’s the players responsibility to turn things around. Julian Nagelsmann has my full support.
There’s a lot of spotlight on the national team. People expect a lot from them and they set their sights high. But nothing is certain in football.
They’ve got to show their quality on the pitch and work as a team. I hope that we’ll get things right, but the players need to step up and show that they can do it.”
