Champions League: “Energy level high”: RB ready for the fourth final

When coach Marco Rose called his pros together in the final training session before the groundbreaking premier class game at Shakhtar Donetsk, it started to rain on Leipzig’s Cottaweg.

The weather didn’t match the mood at RB Leipzig at all, where the players simply laughed away the hardships at the beginning of the fifth of six English weeks in a row. The sweating before the decisive group game was quickly completed at home in the academy, only on Tuesday afternoon did the charter flight to Warsaw take place. “The energy level is high. It’s the Champions League and the boys know what’s at stake,” said coach Marco Rose.

In the Polish capital on Wednesday (6.45 p.m. / DAZN) it is also about ten million euros to reach the round of 16, but primarily about fulfilling an impossible mission. Because after the fatal start to the group phase with two defeats, they had only squinted at third place in the group and the Europa League consolation prize with the cup winners. “Since then we’ve had three finals, now the fourth is coming. Why shouldn’t it work out again?” asked international Timo Werner. With goals at Celtic Glasgow and Real Madrid, the striker played a major role in the fact that you can now stay on Europe’s most dazzling football stage on your own.

One point is enough

One point is enough for that in the game against Donetsk, which was moved to the Legia Stadium in Warsaw because of the Russian war of aggression. After the golden October with nine games without defeat, this should also be possible at the beginning of November. If it weren’t for the first leg, in which Leipzig was still shown under Rose’s predecessor Domenico Tedesco and picked up a solid 1: 4 in their own stadium. “They defend extremely diligently and are willing to suffer,” analyzed Rose.

However, his team cannot be denied a certain ability to suffer. After all, RB has been playing every three days since the beginning of October and has not yet lost a game in the mammoth program before the World Cup. The successes and the imminent winter break at the end of next week provide additional motivation during this phase. There are fewer and fewer games and you have the results behind you, emphasized Rose.

For the new coach, reaching the round of 16 would be something like the best in class award in the mid-year reports. Since he took over at the beginning of September, he has stabilized the team, lets them play exciting football again, has reached the last 16 of the DFB Cup and is already sixth in the Bundesliga.

“A difficult game awaits us”

And yet nothing will happen by itself against Donetsk, as Rose stressed. “We’re in for a difficult game against very good opponents. They have a clear plan, a good idea and are brave with the ball. It starts in their own penalty area,” explained Rose. And in Mykhailo Mudryk they have a 21-year-old attacking talent who can “decide a game alone”. In Donetsk, they even think so much of their jewel that sports director Darijo Srna recently called for a transfer fee of more than 100 million euros.

Willi Orban will primarily deal with Mudryk. However, the Leipzig defense chief does not let the wild youngster keep him awake: “The tension is a little higher, that’s good for us. When it came to everything, we always did a good job.” And the 29-year-old wants to lay the foundation for a solid birthday party. Orban is celebrating his day of honor on Thursday.

The possible lineups:

Shakhtar Donetsk: Trubin – Lucas Taylor, Bondar, Matvienko, Mychailychenko – Stepanenko – Petryak, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Mudryk – Traoré

RB Leipzig: Blaswich – Simakan, Orban, Diallo, Gvardiol – Schlager, Kampl – Szoboszlai, Forsberg – Nkunku, Werner

Referee: Michael Oliver (England)