“Hot Dance” awaits in Marakana
“Extraordinary” PSG jewel enchants RB Leipzig
October 26, 2023, 6:04 a.m
With a win at Red Star Belgrade, RB Leipzig can move into the knockout phase of the Champions League. There is already a foretaste of the atmosphere in the first leg. There, Xavi Simons scored a wonderful goal and earned extra praise from the coach.
RB Leipzig needs another win and support from Manchester City in order to make it to the round of 16 in the Champions League more early than ever before in the club’s history. “We have created a good starting position. And now we should try to use it with great confidence,” said coach Marco Rose after the 3-1 win against Red Star Belgrade. A win in the second leg and a simultaneous point win for Manchester against Young Boys Bern would be enough for a ticket to the round of 16 after just four group games.
A bit untypical for Leipzig, which only secured second place in the group on the last matchday. For Yussuf Poulsen, this development also has something to do with the experience from several years in the premier class. “Probably yes. But also a bit of luck that the other results are like this. In any case, we have six points after three games. That’s a very, very good starting position for me,” said the Danish international striker.
“One of the coolest stadiums in Europe”
Rose expects the game at Belgrade’s legendary Marakana on November 6 to be “certainly a hot dance”. More than 55,000 fans will roar Red Star forward with passion, just like 3,500 already did in Leipzig. “It’s one of the hottest stadiums in Europe. We’re looking forward to it,” said midfielder Christoph Baumgartner. Rose already traveled to Belgrade with Salzburg in 2018, but the game took place without spectators due to a penalty.
Sports director Rouven Schröder expects an “incredible atmosphere”. “You’ve seen games there in the past, even as a small child,” said the 48-year-old. “There was a fire lit in the stands.” At the same time, the sports director warned not to overestimate the good starting position: “We got off to a good start with six points, but despite everything, the group phase is not over yet.”
National player excels
This great start was made possible by, among others, artistic shooter Xavi Simons. The RB coach, who is only 20 years old, was “an extraordinary player,” said the RB coach after the first leg win, in which the offensive player played a key role with a goal and an assist. The dream goal to make it 2-0 by Simons (59th) was “of course very nice,” said Rose: “Today he played a great game again, scored a great goal, it’s fun.” The loan from Paris St. Germain was an “absolute win” for the team, added Schröder.
Simons had previously put David Raum, who was named player of the game, in the spotlight for his first goal in the premier class (13th). Dani Olmo, who returned to Darmstadt on Saturday, made everything clear in the 84th minute. The playmaker’s goal gave him “a good feeling” after a long injury break and also showed “his value for the team,” emphasized Rose: “It gives us calm, structure, clarity.”