RB Leipzig vs. TSG Hoffenheim preview: Momentous occasion for Löw and Leipzig | OneFootball

RB Leipzig

Having worked as an assistant coach at Leipzig and Bayern, Zsolt Löw is familiar with a Bundesliga matchday experience. And, on Saturday, he will lead a team in league action for the first time.

The 45-year-old had a debut to forget when Leipzig missed out on a spot in the DFB-Pokal final after a 3-1 defeat in Stuttgart. He only worked with the team for a couple of days before his first game as a head coach, however.

In the remaining seven Bundesliga matchdays, Löw will hope to leapfrog Leipzig to a Champions League qualification spot. RB only trailed fourth-placed Mainz by three points in the race for Europe’s premium competition.

Meanwhile, it’s also going to be a historic fixture for Leipzig. The Bulls are playing their 300th Bundesliga game in front of their home crowd. Incidentally, it all started against the same opponent when Marcel Sabitzer’s 90th-minute strike salvaged them a 2-2 draw at PreZero Arena (Rhein-Neckar-Arena) in 2016.

Team News

Kevin Kampl returned to training on Friday after recovering from an infection. Youngsters Assan Ouédraogo and Antonio Nusa will be unavailable as they work their way into team training, while Xaver Schlager is out due to a muscle injury.

TSG Hoffenheim

Christian Ilzer is the coach who stopped RB Salzburg’s Austrian football dominance in his time at Sturm Graz. Ahead of facing Red Bull’s most popular brainchild, Ilzer was full of confidence in his press conference.

"The preparation does not change. With regards to the Red Bull philosophy, we (referring to his coaching staff) saw it in Austria. We also saw some of the pillars in the cup match (vs. Stuttgart)," said the Austrian regarding their preparation for the game.

However, Hoffenheim’s poor season wouldn’t instill confidence in their fans. They only lost once in the last six games, but half of them ended in stalemates. For one thing, their form away from home could be decisive for the trip to Leipzig.

Ilzer only has four Bundesliga wins from his first 17 games, with three of them coming on their travels. The only exception was beating Leipzig 4-3 on his debut.

Team News

Adam Hložek, who scored a brace in that sensational come-from-behind win, is back in contention for the first time in nearly two months. Fellow striker Max Moerstedt could also play a part based on his fitness level.