Even though the preparation was not easy due to numerous European Championship participants and injuries, anything other than a victory for RB Leipzig on Saturday (3.30 p.m.) at the start of the Bundesliga against Bochum would be a surprise.
Despite the surroundings, coach Marco Rose (47) is also confident in his team. “The mood is good. We are a well-functioning bunch. I have high hopes for us. We can be really good if we consistently bring the things we work on to the pitch.”
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However: Despite the cup defeat in Regensburg (0:1), the opening opponent Bochum is no easy one. After the upheaval in the team and the change to new coach Peter Zeidler (62), there is not too much information about the team.
“There is the cup game, which can give a little insight. But we don’t really know what’s coming,” reveals Rose, who knows his coaching colleague from his time in Salzburg.
After six years in Switzerland, Peter Zeidler took over Bochum in the summer
Photo: Stefan Bösl/dpa
In order to decipher it, the Leipzig coach even resorted to video tricks! “We tried to get some footage. In Bochum, it wasn’t ideal. They tested in poor lighting conditions and in small stadiums,” says Rose.
The solution to the video problem? “We had a friendly against St. Gallen in the winter (1-0, ed.) and we included that as well,” reveals Rose.
Three RB stars back in training
At the friendly match in La Manga, Zeidler was on the sidelines for the Swiss team. “Peter stands for principles. That means aggressive forward defending, pressing, very vertical play and simply looking for depth.”
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But Rose also wants to focus on his own strengths in front of his home crowd. Good: The only missing players are Xaver Schlager (26), who has a cruciate ligament injury, and new signing Assan Ouédraogo (18) due to knee problems.
Christoph Baumgartner (25), Eljif Elmas (24) and El Chadaille Bitshiabu (19) are at least in contention for a place in the squad after their return to training.
