Leipzig need to extend their winning streak to guarantee staying in a Champions League qualification spot.
| Zsolt Lőw won his first two Bundesliga games | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images |
RB Leipzig
Since he replaced Marco Rose, Zsolt Lőw revived RB Leipzig’s Champions League hopes with successive wins. The Hungarian’s short reign started with a cup defeat in Stuttgart, but they’re now back in the top four.
Leipzig officials are still working on a permanent coach with the upcoming season in mind. As for Lőw, he could be back with another role as a head coach in Bundesliga based on his time at Leipzig.
Last time out, they beat Wolfsburg thanks to a couple of early goals. Coupled with Mainz’s defeat in Hoffenheim, the result saw Leipzig leapfrog to a Champions League spot.
Team News
Willi Orbán will most likely return to the squad after recovering from injury. Assan Ouédraogo isn’t expected to be back after a long layoff, but he could be an option for next week’s game in Frankfurt.
Antonio Nusa and David Raum are also unavailable. Meanwhile, Xavi Simons is suspended for accumulated yellow cards.
Holstein Kiel
We’re nearing the final month of the season, but Kiel are still in it with Liverpool to finish the campaign as the only teams scoring in every game away from home from top-five leagues. That’s a big surprise since they’re now sitting bottom of the standings in Bundesliga.
Marcel Rapp’s side are winless in their last five league games. Although draws to Pokal finalists Stuttgart and Champions League hopefuls Mainz were encouraging in this run, time is running out fast for Kiel.
They’re now four points adrift of the playoff spot with only five games left to play. If we speak about automatic safety, the gap already reached 11 points.
Team News
Kiel’s injury list remains the same for their trip to Leipzig. Patrick Erras and Lewis Holtby are yet to recover, while the long-time absentees are still on rehab.
