With Champions League qualification guaranteed, RB Leipzig have little else to play for when they host Werder Bremen in gameweek 33's Bundesliga action at Red Bull Arena.
Marco Rose's men are undefeated in 10 matches in all competitions heading into Saturday's match and seek to claim maximum points in their final home game of 2023-24 against Europe-chasing opposition.
Match preview
Leipzig's four-match winning run was halted in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Hoffenheim, even if the Red Bulls' undefeated run was extended to 10 in all competitions.
The point did see Rose's team slip four points behind third-placed Stuttgart, who defeated Bayern Munich last week. While the club in fourth are already assured of Champions League football next season, they aimed to match last year's Bundesliga finish.
Even though that remains a possibility for Leipzig, they need Sebastian Hoeness's men to drop points in their final two games and win theirs to have any chance of ending third.
However, the Red Bulls may have to settle for fourth, with Stuttgart facing out-of-form Augsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach in their concluding fixtures of 23-24. That could be decided before Rose's men play on Saturday, with Hoeness's team starting the Bundesliga gameweek on Friday.
If that is out of reach, Leipzig's next aim would be to prevent Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund from supplanting them in the standings, with only three points separating both sides before the season's penultimate round.
Bremen cannot be underrated before Saturday's game at Red Bull Arena given their ongoing three-match sequence without losing, including a stunning 3-0 triumph at Augsburg in their recent away game.
Those opponents are not on the same level as Rose's side, but Ole Werner's men will hope to take that showing into gameweek 33, keen to make it into Europe next season.
Despite sitting 11th in the Bundesliga, Bremen are three points shy of Freiburg in seventh, occupying the Conference League qualification spot. Eighth could suffice for continental football next season, even if that outcome relies on Bayer Leverkusen winning the DFB-Pokal final, seeing Europa League football go to the team that ends seventh and eighth receives the Conference League spot.
That motivates the River Islanders before facing Leipzig, and they hope to secure a positive result on Saturday to give them a fighting chance heading into the final round against Bochum on May 18.
However, Werner will hope the wretched road run that saw them go winless in four away games (three losses, including a 5-0 thrashing at Leverkusen) does not scupper their European ambition at the finish line.
Team News
Xavi Simons is suspended after last week's second-half sending-off at Hoffenheim (two yellows), ruling out the loanee for Leipzig.
Xaver Schlager sustained a severe knee injury in the same fixture, and the midfield man will be absent until next season.
Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda's scoring run in consecutive games ended at Hoffenheim, with only the youngster getting on the scoresheet. The Belgian aims to be back among the goals this weekend to add to his 24 Bundesliga strikes.
Naby Keita is still suspended by Bremen for refusing to travel after discovering he was not starting against Leverkusen weeks back.
While Jens Stage is back from suspension, Jiri Pavlenka (calf) and Justin Njinmah (virus) are facing a race against time to be ready for round 33's game. However, Amos Pieper is missing having undergone ankle surgery.
Mitchell Weiser set up five goals from crosses in 2023-24, with only Leipzig's David Raum (six) outdoing the Bremen man, making both players threats from wide areas on Saturday.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Henrichs, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Olmo, Haidara, Seiwald, Baumgartner; Openda, Sesko
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Veljkovic, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Schmid, Lynen, Bittencourt, Agu; Ducksch, Woltemade
We say: RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen
Leipzig have conceded one goal in their last six Bundesliga games at Red Bull Arena, scored by Dortmund's Jadon Sancho at the backend of April, a game the Red Bulls won 4-1. Despite securing Champions League football, Rose should expect his in-form side to claim maximum points to continue their unbeaten results since losing to Bayern in February.
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