RB Leipzig may be able to rely on captain Willi Orban again in the crisis duel with VfB Stuttgart. The defender completed the entire team training session on Tuesday, with only a tape on his right knee reminding him of the torn collateral ligament. "It was nice that he completed the entire training session without any problems," said midfielder Kevin Kampl. "Of course, it will also be infectious for the team that Willi is back, that he brings positive energy. He's always our rock."
Before training, coach Marco Rose spoke at length with team doctor Frank Striegler and Orban, and the doctor consulted the defender again after the session. A match against VfB Stuttgart (3.30pm/Sky) on Saturday cannot be ruled out. Orban's fitness is questionable. After all, the 31-year-old has been absent since suffering an injury with the Hungarian national team against the Czech Republic in mid-September.
On paper, Stuttgart are fourth in the table and third in the table. But if you look at their record in 2024, two teams with two defeats each will meet. "Now we have to get to grips with it and not tense up, which we won't," said Kampl. Many players have already experienced situations like this, but it's not a mental thing yet.
Tuesday's training session started a good hour later due to a detailed video analysis. One of the topics of discussion was probably the defensive behavior in set-piece situations. They conceded two goals from corners in the 3-2 defeat to Leverkusen. "Of course, when you look at the pictures afterwards, you think we could have defended that," said Kampl.
That's why the video sessions are there, to analyze things that need to be improved as quickly as possible. "But we can't dwell on it for too long or dwell on it. Because Saturday is the next top game and that will be extremely difficult," said the midfielder.
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