Ahead of the away game at BVB, Ole Werner reports on two new Leipzig absences and explains what he expects from substitute El Chadaille Bitshiabu. He doesn’t want to overestimate Leipzig’s advantage.
Ole Werner would have preferred to do without this advantage, but now that it’s there, he wants to make the most of it. While Borussia Dortmund faced Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Tuesday (4-1), RB Leipzig, who finished seventh last year, were once again able to prepare for Saturday’s clash with BVB in peace.
“That certainly doesn’t have to be a disadvantage,” Werner said at his press conference on Friday morning, but he just smiled at the fact that Niko Kovac had emphasized this “big advantage” for RB the day before. “I realize that the opposing coach is emphasizing this point. We should try to capitalize on it in some way. But Dortmund is used to this rhythm and also has a team that is built for it. That fact alone will not lead us to victory.”
Kampl and Werner will not travel to Dortmund
Like BVB, Leipzig has won all of its last four Bundesliga games. “Tactically, mentally, in terms of play – we have to be at our best in all areas,” warns Werner, who has won once against BVB but has never lost against Kovac. While Ridle Baku (returning to the DFB squad after four years), Yan Diomande (first nomination for Ivory Coast), and Assan Ouedraogo (first nomination for Germany U21) wrote “beautiful personal success stories” this week, according to Werner, a duo has been added to the injury list:
Kevin Kampl, who has a cold, and Timo Werner, who is out for the time being with muscle problems in his groin area. However, the duo was not scheduled to start in Dortmund anyway, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu is also expected to be a spectator for 90 minutes as usual.
The 20-year-old center back, who had made 21 Bundesliga appearances in 2024/25 but has only made one substitute appearance in the DFB Cup so far this season, simply cannot get past Castello Lukeba and Willi Orban.
Bitshiabu: Ouedraogo as a role model?
“In soccer, it’s sometimes the case that others do even better. Castello plays consistently and performs well. And you rarely change the center-back position when the scores are close,” explains Werner. So does Bitshiabu have to remain patient? “I don’t advise anyone to be patient,” the coach counters. “Everyone should be impatient and eager to play, trying every day to push themselves forward in a way that is good for the team. That’s what Chad does.”
“We’re always open to performance, and that has already worked for one or two players,” Werner reminds everyone, referring in particular to Ouedraogo, who started twice recently after three late substitute appearances at the start of the season. “Assan has really earned his place in the starting lineup in recent weeks through his performances in training.”
