RB Leipzig hungry for Bayern revenge
Bundesliga leaders Dortmund hope to build on midweek German Cup win, travel to Hanover 96
>> BERLIN: Timo Werner will be looking for redemption when RB Leipzig travel to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga today.
The 21-year-old striker missed the decisive penalty in the shootout as Bayern knocked Leipzig out of the German Cup on Wednesday.
Werner is expected to return to the starting eleven today, having started on the bench in midweek. He and his team will be out for immediate revenge in the Allianz Arena.
Third in the table and just a point behind Bayern, victory would also see Leipzig edge ahead of their rivals in the Bundesliga title race.
Both sides currently sit behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund, who hope to return to winning ways when they host Hanover 96.
Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick squabbled with Bayern players at half-time, while coach Ralph Hasenhuettl accused the referee of “double standards”.
The team played 65 of the 120 minutes with 10 men on Wednesday, after Naby Keita’s red card, and Hasenhuettl is expected to rotate his exhausted squad.
Lukas Klostermann and Diego Demme should also start today.
“It will be a very difficult game [on Saturday],” said Leipzig forward Marcel Sabitzer.
“We will need to push ourselves to the limit. The only good thing is that Bayern have also had to play 120 minutes.”
Dortmund head to Hanover in good spirits today, having picked up their first win in four games with a midweek victory over Magdeburg.
Dortmund still top the Bundesliga, but their five-point lead has evaporated in recent weeks, following defeat by Leipzig and a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bosz had been accused of reckless tactics after the string of disappointing results, but vowed this week that he would not change his philosophy.
“The system was working at the beginning of the season,” Bosz protested. “It was fun to watch, and fun for the players.”
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mario Goetze are expected to return to the starting team against Hanover.
Still bottom of the table and without a win this season, Cologne face an in-form Bayer Leverkusen side in the Rhine Derby today.
After the shock departure of sporting director Joerg Schmadtke last week, victory in the cup against Hertha Berlin has given Cologne hope ahead of the derby.
The relegation-threatened club have beaten their local rivals just once since 2011, and they should expect no mercy from Leverkusen this time around.
“It sounds tough, but if Cologne are already on the ground, we should keep kicking them,” said Leverkusen striker Julian Brandt.
Thorgan Hazard’s winner fired Borussia Moenchengladbach into the next round of the German Cup on Tuesday, and the Belgian has promised more of the same against Hoffenheim this weekend.
“This was just the beginning,” said Hazard. “I’ve struggled to take my chances lately, so it was a liberation to score.”
Victory would see Gladbach overtake Hoffenheim, who are currently in fourth, but have won just one of their last five competitive games.
FIXTURES
(kick-offs 8.30pm, Thai time, unless stated)
Today
Bayer Leverkusen v Cologne, Hanover 96 v Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin v Hamburg, Hoffenheim v Borussia Moenchengladbach, Schalke 04 v Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (11.30pm)
Tomorrow
Werder Bremen v Augsburg (10.30pm), Stuttgart v Freiburg (1am, Mon)