Pre-#TSGRBL: "Leipzig play with a lot of power"

Coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke at the press conference ahead of the Bundesliga home game against RB Leipzig (Saturday, 15:30 CET) about the opposition, the burden of playing so many matches and the personnel situation.

Julian Nagelsmann on…

…the personnel situation: "Kerem Demirbay will be tested today. Then we'll see whether there's a chance of him featuring on Saturday. As captain, Kevin Vogt has a vital role for us. We don't have endless alternatives in his position. Whether a player can be rotated or not rests on a combination of factors."

…RB Leipzig: "In the match against VfB Stuttgart, you could see a lot about how they want to play. They play with a lot of power. They've played even more games than us and looked slightly jaded in the second half. We need to withstand their power at the outset. We therefore want to get off to a positive start in the opening stages. The longer the game goes on, the more space we'll get."

…fatigue caused by the hectic schedule: "It's not an easy task to play at a top level every three days. But it was clear to us we'd have to prepare for this. It starts with squad planning. The physical and mental strain are equally big, but when you win the burden on your body and mind does not weigh as heavily."

…set-piece situations: "You could see the importance set-pieces have taken on at the World Cup. We're focusing on it and testing out a lot of things to be solid defensively. Going forward, a lot depends on the shooter. In the middle we're missing Benjamin Hübner, who has scored a lot of headed goals. A goal from a set-piece can sometimes open the door for you. As a result, we need to improve on that."

Head-to-head record:

TSG have won two of the previous four meetings between the teams. Both victories came last season, when Hoffenheim claimed a 4-0 victory at home and then emerged as 5-2 victors in Leipzig. Their clashes in the 2016/17 campaign produced a draw and a Leipzig victory.

The opposition's form:

After a slow start to the season that saw them take one point from their opening two matches, Leipzig have picked up seven points from their last three Bundesliga outings. Coach Ralf Rangnick's charges beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in midweek.

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