RB Leipzig get their second Ralf Rangnick era underway against BL Häcken in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round on Thursday evening (kick-off: 6.30pm CEST/5.30pm BST/12.30pm ET) with Timo Werner expected to lead the line in a new-look team.
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Leipzig parted ways with coach Ralph Hasenhüttl in May, with sporting director Rangnick stepping into the hot-seat this season with American Jesse Marsch as his assistant before Hoffenheim’s Julian Nagelsmann picks up the reins in 2019/20. Werner, the top scorer last term with 21 goals in all competitions, is likely to lead the line, though Jean-Kevin Augustin and new signing Matheus Cunha provide strong alternatives should Rangnick decide to rest the Germany No.9. Cunha was accompanied by Nordi Mukiele and Marcelo Saracchi in the Red Bull Arena arrivals lounge this summer, and the full-backs are expected to play with Konrad Laimer and Marcel Halstenberg not yet match fit following injuries.
Häcken finished fourth in Sweden’s Allsvenskan in 2017 before winning through to this second qualifying round by beating Latvian outfit FK Liepaja 4-2 on aggregate. Brazilian veteran Paulinho, in his second spell at the cub, is the Swede’s primary goal threat. The 32-year-old typically lines up on the left of a front three for Andreas Alm’s side, so Mukiele’s first game in a Leipzig jersey could be a busy one.
Watch: Timo Werner’s turbo-charged race to the top!
Probable line-ups
Leipzig: Gulacsi – Mukiele, Orban (c), Upamecano, Saracchi – Ilsanker, Demme – Bruma, Kampl, Forsberg – Werner
Absentees: Laimer (match fitness), Halstenberg (cruciate ligament), Sabitzer (shoulder)
Coach: Ralf Rangnick
Häcken: Abrahamsson – Ekpolo, Lindgren (c), Wahlström, Arkivuo – Friberg, Irandust, Faltsetas – Mohammed, Kamara, Paulinho
Absentees: N/A
Coach: Andreas Alm
Match stats
- Leipzig got to the quarter-finals of the Europa League last season in what was their maiden European campaign.
- Die Roten Bullen have yet to face Swedish opposition. They posted wins over Porto (Portugal), Monaco (Monaco), Napoli (Italy), Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Marseille (France) last term.
- Leipzig’s Swedish winger Emil Forsberg has faced Häcken seven times before, scoring four goals and assisting one more.
- Werner was Leipzig’s most potent attacking force last season with 21 goals, seven of which came in Europe.
- Rangnick boasted a 58 percent winning ratio the last time he was in the Red Bull Arena dugout, leading the club to their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga in 2015/16.
- The Bundesliga’s youngest club will join forces with its youngest ever manager next year, when Nagelsmann swaps Hoffenheim for Leipzig, with Rangnick moving back upstairs.
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