RB Leipzig have put their position in the VBL Club Championship behind them ahead of Christmas. After a stuttering start, the RBLZ even defeated the leaders in the catch-up matches
Misbelief or not: 13 was definitely an unlucky number for RB Leipzig ahead of the two catch-up games on Wednesday evening. The Saxons had picked up 13 points so far in the South-East Division, which put them in 13th place – well outside the play-off places. The RBLZ also had league leaders Mainz in front of them. FSV had only conceded their first defeat of the season the day before. The danger of a Christmas crisis was acute for Leipzig.
It was exacerbated by the botched start to the duel with the Nullfünfern: Levy Finn ‘levyfinn’ Rieck and Umut ‘RBLZ_Umut’ Gültekin were beaten 2:3 in the initial 2vs2. But the defending champions then showed their resilience. ‘RBLZ_Umut’ barely gave Max Julius ‘Diviners’ Gröne a chance with a 5:2 win, while ‘levyfinn’ followed up with a 4:2 win against Ditmir ‘Ditmir_4897’ Alimi. The first three points were in the bag
Tactical change: Gültekin avoids ‘Furky’
However, the play-off places had not yet been reached. Leipzig awaited a clash with SV Wehen Wiesbaden. This time, Rieck and Gültekin did better in the doubles, scoring twice in the first half to secure a 2:0 opening win. It was only the fourth 2v2 win for the reigning club champions in twelve games. The combination of ‘levyfinn’ and Anders ‘RBLZ_Vejrgang’ Vejrgang in particular had not worked optimally at the start of the season.
RB then switched the order for the first singles match: ‘levyfinn’ took on the task against Furkan ‘Furky’ Kayacik – and did it brilliantly with a 3:1 win. In the RBLZ stream on Twitch afterwards, Gültekin explained that he often has big problems against ‘Furky’. Hence the tactical switch to Rieck for the first – and only – 1vs1.
Leipzig jumped to fourth place in the South-East Division thanks to the six points. The lead over ninth place, which no longer qualifies for the play-offs, is just two points. However, the RBLZ have another catch-up match against TSG Hoffenheim on December 27. All VBLCC results and tables can be found in our matchday overview.
