Yussuf Poulsen made his way into the dressing room with the last of his strength. "I limped because I had cramps in both calves," said the RB Leipzig striker. The fact that Poulsen laughed at these words was mainly due to his performance in the 4:2 win against FC St. Pauli in the second round of the DFB Cup. With two goals, the Danish international played a key role in the team's progression to the round of 16.
It was only Poulsen's second chance in the starting eleven this season and the 30-year-old made the most of it. "I'm very happy for Yussi," said coach Marco Rose. "He's not having an easy time, he's not getting as much playing time. As a result, he hasn't always looked the freshest in the odd short outing."
According to Rose, Poulsen "blew himself free" and "did very well. He tied up balls, scored goals, started our game." The striker, who has played for Leipzig for more than a decade, may have played his way into the starting eleven for the top match at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (18:30/Sky).
Only brief appearances in the league
Benjamin Sesko will then start from the beginning again, but goal scorer Loïs Openda is doubtful. The Belgian international is suffering from an inner ligament injury in his knee, which prevented him from even making the squad against St. Pauli. The injury is not serious; according to Rose, examinations have not revealed any structural damage.
The fact that Poulsen is a serious candidate for Dortmund is once again down to the cup. In 34 appearances in the competition, he has scored 14 goals and set up 15 others. In the Bundesliga, Poulsen has usually only played a maximum of fifteen minutes. Only in the 0-0 draw at FC St. Pauli did he get to play for over an hour. Saturday will show whether he can take the cup high with him into the Bundesliga.
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