Deniz Undav and Lois Openda are currently their teams’ top strikers. In the game between VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig, the two top scorers meet each other – and want to score important points with their goals.
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Trend-setting game for the upper ranks! Both VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig had a very strong record after 16 matchdays (34 and 33 points respectively), but the first two games after the winter break were lost. Although the Swabians and the Saxons maintained third and fourth places, fifth-place Dortmund gained six points in the fight for the Champions League places and is now level on points with Leipzig. Now the first points in 2024 will be distributed in the direct duel between VfB and RB, either three for one of the two teams or one each.
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The previous record in the duel between Stuttgart and Leipzig is clear: in eleven Bundesliga duels there were nine wins for the Saxons and two draws. Leipzig has only played against VfB eleven times in the Bundesliga without ever losing – and in seven of the eleven meetings with the Swabians, Leipzig kept a clean sheet. The focus of Saturday’s game will be on the two teams’ top scorers, as Deniz Undav and Loïs Openda could be decisive in the fight for their first win of the new year.
Best German striker
Over the course of the season, Deniz Undav developed into more than just Serhou Guirassy’s replacement due to injury. The striker has always been in the starting line-up since matchday 9. He played his first five Bundesliga games as a joker. In 15 Bundesliga games he scored nine goals (plus two assists), making him the most goals of any German player in the league.
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Although Undav is only 1.79 meters tall, he has already scored three times with his head this season – only Harry Kane (five) and Kevin Behrens (four) more often in the league. As a busy attacker, the 27-year-old travels a lot (11.3 km and 28 sprints per 90 minutes) and also scored four times to make it 1-0 for VfB. Although Stuttgart’s offense without Guirassy is lacking in terms of finishing efficiency, Undav could use the game against Leipzig to remedy this gap.
Openda shone in the first leg
The first leg of the season was a real fireworks display: Leipzig fell behind for the first time against Stuttgart, but still celebrated their biggest win to date (5:1). After the 0-1 lead at the break thanks to a goal from Guirassy, Marco Rose’s team turned things around and scored five goals in the second half of the game. It was the only time in the Bundesliga that RB Leipzig scored five more goals than their opponents after half-time. Openda was also involved in the strong success back then, contributing a goal and an assist.
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The Belgian is now his team’s top goalscorer with twelve goals. He also provided four assists – making him Leipzig’s top scorer (fifth in the league). No other Leipzig player scored more than five times, only Kane and Guirassy scored more often in the league (22 and 17 times respectively). Openda was very versatile in his finishing: he scored six times with his right, four times with his left and twice with his head. The 23-year-old had the most shots on goal for the Saxons (73, only Victor Boniface more in the league), had the most big chances (16) and consequently also the highest xGoals value (13.1).
Openda is not only dangerous at the end: he reached a top speed of 35.7 km/h – the best value at RB Leipzig. On top of that, he won a good 48 percent of his duels for a striker – Undav (41 percent) can still learn a lot from that. Stuttgart against Leipzig promises excitement in the fight for the top places and both teams have two snappers, Undav and Openda, who can decide this duel. Who will leave the pitch as the winner on matchday 19?
2024-01-25 09:04:09
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