RB Leipzig v Aston Villa Pre-Match

[olaftab]

So here we go again on our Champions League journey.

When: Tuesday 10 December Kick off 20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET
Where: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig.

Whilst Leipzig have been very poor in Champions League this season (played 5 lost 5) they are going well in Bundesliga. Sitting fourth currently with 24 points from 13 games.  Today they beat Holstein Kiel 2-0 away from home.  Openda is their star man and a tricky player as no doubt Carlos will remember.

[Legion]

2-0

[Witton Warrior]

0-0

[VillaTim]

Watched them at Celtic park and they surprised me how crap they were .
0-3 to the good guys .

[Smirker]

4-0 Villa FTF.

[PaulWinch again]

Tough game, although it might not look like it based on Champions League form. A draw would be decent.

[SaddVillan]

Bailey's out injured, so who will we play on the right hand side of the 3? Assuming we go 4-2-3-1.

Buendia - played there before his injury
Philogene - too erratic
McGinn - better in the middle
Maatsen - play him in front of Digne down the left and move Rogers across to the right.

[brontebilly]

Bailey's out injured, so who will we play on the right hand side of the 3? Assuming we go 4-2-3-1.

Buendia - played there before his injury
Philogene - too erratic
McGinn - better in the middle
Maatsen - play him in front of Digne down the left and move Rogers across to the right.

McGinn

Thought McGinn was one of the few who had any composure on the ball in that second half. Must have been fuming with Watkins for not squaring it to him for a tap in.

Maybe Buendia will get a start v RBL.

[VillaTim]

Buendia return makes sense

[Brazilian Villain]

Tough game, although it might not look like it based on Champions League form. A draw would be decent.

Agree with this. Big game though, win and we're looking good to go straight through to the last 16.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

We sit in 9th place.
Of the 8 teams above us, 6 are playing each other this week. Leverkusen v Inter, Dortmund v Barcelona, Arsenal v Monaco.
A win here will leave us firmly established in the automatic qualification places with two games to go.

https://www.flashscore.co.uk/standings/x0KXIZfD/2oN82Fw5/#/2oN82Fw5/table/overall

[eamonn]

How many more points do they reckon is needed for us to avoid the extra round? Also, is this a more difficult game than our next one, away to Monaco?

[Dave]

Think that 15 points makes it possible, 16 makes it probable, 17 makes it nailed on unless something weird happens.

[Somniloquism]

How many more points do they reckon is needed for us to avoid the extra round? Also, is this a more difficult game than our next one, away to Monaco?

Don't see it being anything other then the 15/16 predicted for most of the season. 14 might sneak it for someone with a good GD as well.

Leipzig has not turned up for the CL and can't really qualify now so might just concentrate on the Bundesliga. However as Monaco are above us, you have to suspect that would be the harder match. I also think Monaco play on a really hard pitch as I believe it is built over the subterranean car park. So whilst it is grass, it might be deceptive to our players. 

[eye digress]

Think that 15 points makes it possible, 16 makes it probable, 17 makes it nailed on unless something weird happens.

Think that "probable" started at 15.

We need to win one of these two away games (or draw them both) to be in with a shout of getting to that level.

They won away this weekend, and have 3 CL games remaining so could still qualify on 9 points if they win all their games. Guess that means they will be quickly out of the traps and in our faces, and equally we may be able to exploit their desire to push on.

Saw bits of the Inter and Juve games - they looked decent and very physical to me, and a bit unlucky. Think their Dutch playmaker fella has been out of late.