Following a series of contrasting outcomes within the preceding fortnight, VfL Bochum is poised to host RB Leipzig at the Ruhrstadion in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bochum accomplished a feat that eluded Leipzig by securing a victory against Bayern Munich two weeks ago. However, Thomas Letsch’s squad experienced a setback in the previous weekend, succumbing to defeat. Consequently, both teams are eager to rebound from recent setbacks.
Match preview
A significant setback occurred within the ranks of Bochum a week prior, following the exhilaration of defeating champions Bayern 3-2 on home turf, as they suffered a resounding defeat at Borussia-Park.
Borussia Monchengladbach’s 5-2 victory marked only the second loss for Bochum in seven games thus far in 2024, the other being away at Borussia Dortmund.
This statistic is notably impressive, especially considering that Bochum faced two of the top three teams during this period and emerged victorious against both.
However, the substantial defeat has further inflated their goals conceded tally, with only bottom-placed Darmstadt having conceded more than Bochum’s 46.
Consequently, they slid to 15th position, just one place above the relegation zone. Nevertheless, with the bottom three teams trailing by eight points, relegation does not pose an immediate concern for Letsch and his team.
The margin between Hoffenheim in seventh place and Bochum in 15th is only five points, making a late push for a European spot more plausible than being dragged into a relegation battle.
Bochum’s strong performance at home has been pivotal in accumulating points this season, having scored in all 11 matches at the Ruhrstadion and losing only once.
Following their defeat to Bayern last weekend, Leipzig aims to swiftly recover to maintain pressure on Dortmund in the pursuit of a top-four finish.
Leipzig’s forthcoming four matches are against the current bottom four teams, making the objective of securing 12 points highly attainable, potentially propelling them above Edin Terzic’s squad in the process.
Despite sitting in fifth place, Die Roten Bullen are now considered the frontrunners for fourth place, given the narrow one-point gap between them and Dortmund, along with favorable upcoming fixtures.
Should Marco Rose’s team replicate their performance from the previous week, they stand a strong chance of achieving this objective, as they were denied a point at the Allianz Arena only by a stoppage-time goal from Harry Kane.
Nonetheless, another defeat has resulted in their 2024 record showing seven points from seven matches, while their Champions League journey is likely to conclude at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
While attention may be on their upcoming match against Real Madrid, underestimating their forthcoming opponents is not an option, despite their favorable record of winning eight of the previous ten encounters.
Team news
In the previous encounter at the Red Bull Arena, Bochum’s goalkeeper Manuel Riemann demonstrated his prowess by thwarting two penalty kicks. However, due to an inexplicable fifth booking during his recent appearance, he will be sidelined due to suspension.
Fortunately for the hosting team, Niclas Thiede, the backup goalkeeper, has resumed training this week following a brief absence and is expected to be fit to replace the regular goalkeeper. Alternatively, manager Letsch may opt to grant a debut to veteran Andreas Luthe, who recently transferred from Kaiserslautern.
Erhan Masovic’s suspension further compounds Bochum’s defensive woes, while injuries to Danilo Soares, Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Tim Oermann, and Patrick Osterhage will render them unavailable for selection.
Additionally, Leipzig’s Xaver Schlager will be absent due to accumulated yellow cards, while Yussuf Poulsen’s participation in the attacking line remains uncertain owing to a muscular issue that required separate training sessions during the week.
Leipzig’s first-choice goalkeeper, Peter Gulacsi, continues to be sidelined due to an abdominal problem, despite his recent return to training. Furthermore, Lukas Klostermann’s hip injury will prolong his absence for another month.
Consequently, Janis Blaswich and Mohamed Simakan are poised to retain their places in the starting lineup after their recent appearances against Bayern.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Thiede; Gamboa, Schlotterbeck, Ordets, Bernardo; Losilla, Stoger, Bero; Asano, Broschinski, Kwarteng
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum; Haidara, Kampl; Dani Olmo, Simons; Openda, Sesko