Despite five defeats in the five Champions League games so far, Marco Rose is banking on RB Leipzig's mini-chance of reaching the last 16. The Bundesliga side will make the start this Tuesday (21:00/DAZN) at home against Bayern conquerors Aston Villa after an upturn in results in recent days.
"We know that we need a win so that we still have the opportunity to slip into the next round somewhere in January with two more victories," said Rose at a press conference the day before the game: "We've played ourselves into the situation."
RB are 34th in the Champions League table with zero points. Opponents Aston Villa, who are coached by Spanish European Cup expert Unai Emery, are ninth with ten points.
Kampl still with a sore toe and ankle
After three wins, including against FC Bayern Munich, the British side most recently drew 0-0 with Juventus Turin. Before that, they had suffered their only defeat to date with a 1-0 draw at FC Brugge. Under the new format, the top eight teams in the league phase advance to the round of 16, with the next 16 teams contesting play-offs.
In terms of personnel, Rose still doesn't have much choice. At least Kevin Kampl, who trained individually on Monday and only made a brief appearance against Kiel, will definitely be an option despite his "thick toe and ankle", assured Rose.
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