RB Leipzig vs Bochum

Inconsistent RB Leipzig will be looking to find their mojo when they take on promoted Bochum at the Red Bull Arena in a must-win Bundesliga fixture.

Jesse Marsch’s Leipzig cannot catch a break this season, having undone last weekend’s 6-0 Bundesliga thrashing of Hertha BSC with an underwhelming 2-1 home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League midweek. After guiding ‘Die Roten Bullen’ to their worst-ever start to a new top-flight campaign (W2, D1, L3), Julian Nagelsmann’s successor Marsch has come under heavy scrutiny. Therefore, their first-ever Bundesliga match-up against Bochum arrives at the best possible moment, as Leipzig boast an intimidating 100% unbeaten top-flight ratio against newly-promoted sides (GP20 – W17, D3) – an absolute Bundesliga record. What’s more, the hosts have suffered just four defeats across their last 34 league fixtures on home turf (W19, D11, L4), all of which came exclusively at the hands of Bayern Munich (2) and Borussia Dortmund (2).

On the other hand, Bochum head into proceedings amid a four-match winless Bundesliga streak, though last weekend’s scoreless home draw with Stuttgart brought their three-game losing streak to a halt. After a return of just one win from their opening six Bundesliga matches (D1, L4) dropped them to 17th in the standings, the visitors already look like warm relegation candidates. Bochum’s hopes of bouncing back from a sluggish start to the season face a formidable challenge in the shape of a Leipzig side they’ve lost to in all five competitive H2Hs. What’s more, ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ have lost each of their three top-flight fixtures away from home by an aggregate score of 10-1. Indeed, they have registered a clear majority (76.92%) of their total Bundesliga goals conceded this season on the road (10/13).