Three defeats in the Champions League group matches so far and a rather bumpy course of the season in the Bundesliga cannot seem to shake the optimism in the RB Leipzig camp.
Ahead of the straw match against Paris St Germain, coach Jesse Marsch and striker Yussuf Poulsen at least exuded a demonstrative confidence of being able to land the longed-for liberation blow against the Group A leaders and surprise positively for the first time this season. “We need the moment of the big click, then the self-confidence and the power within our group will also come. It can be a great opportunity for us and for our fans,” Marsch said on Tuesday, and Poulsen added: “We are still positive. We can beat any team at home. “
The hosts did not want to see the fact that the Parisians travelled to Leipzig without Lionel Messi, the two-time goalscorer in the 3-2 win a fortnight ago, as a major advantage. “In the first leg di Maria didn’t play for that. Every player in the PSG squad has enormous quality,” said Poulsen. Marsch expressed a similar opinion. On the one hand, it is a disadvantage for PSG “because Messi is one of the best players in the world, but Paris is more than just one player.” In addition to Angel di Maria, Neymar, who is fit to play again, was also missing in the first leg.
Only Klostermann and Halstenberg missing – Olmo as wild card
All professionals are on board for Leipzig apart from defenders Lukas Klostermann and Marcel Halstenberg. “We have many healthy players, which is certainly an advantage,” Marsch expressed. For Dani Olmo, who made a brief comeback after a six-week break (torn muscle fibre) in the 1-1 draw in Frankfurt on Saturday, it is still too early for the starting eleven. “He’s probably not ready for 90 minutes, but for 30 or 40,” Marsch said.
The starting position is clear. With a win, Leipzig would keep their hopes alive of at least finishing third in their group in the Europa League. And a win would also be a mood booster after the last-minute setback in Frankfurt and before Saturday’s tough Bundesliga test against Dortmund. Marsch only briefly touched on Saturday’s game in the video sessions on Monday and Tuesday: “We briefly talked about what we can learn from this game for the game against Paris. “
“Test after test after test” – Leipzig’s small steps in development
The negligent handling of their own chances, the completely unnecessary foul on Mohamed Simakan in the final minute and Josep Gvardiol’s careless defending at the subsequent free-kick are likely to have come up for discussion. Basically, though, Marsch believes his staff are on the right track. “We have had test after test after test, and we have played better and better,” said the coach, describing the small steps in development in recent weeks.
