RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose does not yet believe that Real Madrid star player Jude Bellingham will miss the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. "I'll only believe he's out if he's not in the stadium tomorrow. I know Jude, he'll do everything he can to play the Champions League game. And if he's still looking for a doctor here to get fit," Rose said at a press conference on Monday about his former BVB player from their time together at Dortmund.
Bellingham sprained his ankle in Real's 4-0 win over FC Girona last Saturday. His participation in the Premier League this Tuesday (9pm/Prime Video) is reportedly in doubt.
Rose himself is worried about Amadou Haidara ahead of the clash with the Whites. The defensive midfielder was ruled out in Augsburg after struggling with slight knee problems from the Africa Cup. "Doudou has increased his training workload. He really wants to be involved. We'll wait for the final training session," said Rose, who also commented that the underdog role has never been something for him.
"But I don't see us as the favorites for the Champions League title. I would see that as very presumptuous," said Rose. The last time the two clubs met in Leipzig, RB won 3-2. However, the then defending champions Real had already qualified early for the round of 16 in September 2022. This time it's a knockout game.
"When you've done it before, you know you can do it again. It was a very energetic performance from us back then. We want to play with the same emotion and intensity again and get a good result," said RB goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
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