Erling Haaland contributed five goals to the worst defeat in the club’s history, now the Norwegian wonder striker RB Leipzig should serve as a role model for revenge.
“He has a brutal greed to force the goal in every situation. It has to get into our heads to create something out of even the smallest situations. We have the heart and the passion to make it happen,” said offensive player Christoph Baumgartner. If Leipzig wins at Manchester City, they can even win Group G in the Champions League.
The team wants to prove itself
It was around eight and a half months ago that Leipzig lost 7-0 in the second leg of the round of 16. Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gündogan added further goals to Haaland’s five-pack. However, no trauma resulted from this. “We then won the cup and qualified for the Champions League. So it didn’t destroy us,” said coach Marco Rose. He’s had worse nights than after this game.
However, the expectations for the third guest appearance at the Etihad Stadium are clear. “We will have to suffer,” Rose said. Which means above all: running. The defending champions’ opponents usually don’t get long periods of possession, regardless of their class. “I think even Liverpool only had the ball about 40 percent of the time,” Rose explained. The 47-year-old emphasized that his team is self-confident and wants to prove themselves.
Rose doesn’t want to rotate in goal
Although both teams are already in the round of 16 and winning the group is theoretically only possible if Leipzig wins, Rose does not want to rotate in goal. “We talked about doing it,” said the coach, referring to the long-injured Peter Gulacsi. However, the Hungarian national goalkeeper was set back by a toe injury and missed a few sessions.
In return, Rose, who will rely on Janis Blaswich in goal at City, promised a guaranteed appearance in the final group game: “The desire is there to let him play against Bern from the start. Because he is important.” It could be Gulacsi’s last appearance for Leipzig. Although a change in the winter is currently not an issue for the 32-year-old, he also wants to play in the European Championships with Hungary. Without match practice it would be difficult.
