The defeat to Aston Villa (2:3) ended RB Leipzig's hopes of reaching the Champions League play-offs. Now, the team will fully focus on the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. Incidentally, they knocked Eintracht Frankfurt out of the cup with a decisive 3:0 victory, which will surely leave the Frankfurt side eager for revenge.
Last weekend, Leipzig comfortably handled Holstein Kiel (2:0), generating 1.40 xG with five shots on target over 90 minutes. Despite their evident crisis, Leipzig continue to create opportunities against any opponent, amassing 20.06 expected goals. Loïs Openda impressed against Aston Villa with a goal and an assist, but without Xavi Simons, they were forced to switch to a back three, often leaving the flanks of Antonio Nussa and Benjamin Henrichs exposed.
Eintracht Frankfurt's clash with Olympique Lyonnais (2:3) in the sixth round of the Europa League group stage marked their fifth consecutive and eighth in ten matches to exceed the total over 2.5. In Lyon, Dino Toppmöller's staff initially kept Omar Marmoush on the bench—yet the Egyptian nearly changed the course of the game upon coming on. Frankfurt rank second in the Bundesliga for xG (28.62), yet their expected goals against are in the lower half of the table (22.55).
One and a half weeks after Leipzig's cup victory over Eintracht, these sides will once again engage in open football. Expect plenty of chances and 3-4 goals in the match.
