Leipzig takes courage for Madrid: "A little more liberated"

David Raum has seen RB Leipzig's clear 4:1 (1:1) win in Bochum as encouragement for the tough Champions League game at Real Madrid on Wednesday (21:00/DAZN). "You can see the quality we have there. That must give us a tailwind. It will give us a bit more freedom when we fly to Madrid," said the 25-year-old international on Saturday.

Raum pointed to the positive reaction of the Bundesliga fifth-placed side after Maximilian Wittek put them 1-0 down early on: "That's how you win nasty away games, that's how you can win in Madrid too." Goalscorer Lois Openda, who only came on as a substitute in the 65th minute, is also traveling to the Spanish capital with more confidence: "We showed our mentality today. We're ready for the important game."

After the 1-0 draw in the first encounter, Leipzig must win at the record winners of the top flight to progress to the quarter-finals. "We're in an attacking position, but we like it," commented Raum. His anticipation seems greater than his respect: "You dream of games like this when you're a little kid. The stadium is amazing. The club is one of the biggest and most successful in the world."

After a bumpy start to the new year so far, coach Marco Rose also seemed satisfied this time. Thanks to goals from Dani Olmo (30th minute), Openda (68th), Ivan Ordets (own goal/71st) and Yussuf Poulsen (72nd), he and his team were spared another setback. "Bochum is an incredibly difficult away game where you're given a lot to do. That's why I'm very happy about the win. It was hard-earned," said Rose.