SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 18 hrs 29 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
DFB-Pokal | First Round
Aug 7, 2021 at 2.30pm UK
BWT-Stadion am Hardtwald
LL

SV Sandhausen
0 - 4
RB Leipzig


Sickinger (36')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Orban (19'), Haidara (45'), Nkunku (60'), Szoboszlai (81')

Preview: SV Sandhausen vs. RB Leipzig - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: SV Sandhausen vs. RB Leipzig - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's DFB-Pokal clash between SV Sandhausen and RB Leipzig, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

SV Sandhausen face RB Leipzig in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday, with the visitors embarking on a new era under the management of Jesse Marsch.

Sandhausen, meanwhile, will be looking to inflict a major upset on a side one division above them.


Match preview

Although Sandhausen have been a 2.Bundesliga club since 2012, the difference in resources between themselves and Leipzig should not be underestimated.

After winning the third tier of German football in the 2011-12 campaign, Sandhausen were promoted to the second tier of German football for the first time in their entire history.

Given that they have finished in the bottom half in each of their nine seasons at that level, it is quite remarkable that they have remained there since, with last season a perfect example of that having avoided the dreaded relegation playoffs by a solitary point.

If their start to the new campaign is anything to go by, though, they could be set for a long, tough season ahead of them.

Indeed, they have failed to score a goal in 2-0 and 3-0 defeats to Dusseldorf and Jahn Regensburg respectively, with the latter a particularly crushing defeat given that their opponents only finished one position ahead of them last season.

In a sense, then, Saturday's test against Leipzig could represent a welcome free hit for the Baden-Wurttemberg-based side, who have unusually been led by two joint-managers since Stefan Kulovits and Gerhard Kleppinger were appointed in tandem in February earlier this year.

It would be fair to say that there is more pressure on Leipzig on Saturday, then, with Marsch taking charge of his first competitive game since departing Red Bull Salzburg.

The 47-year-old replaced Julian Nagelsmann after he opted to depart for Bayern Munich, and takes over a talented team which finished second in the Bundesliga and as runners-up in the DFB-Pokal last season.

The American boss led Salzburg to a domestic double in both of his campaigns, and is clearly a favourite of the Red Bull regime having won MLS Coach of the Year in his first season with New York Red Bulls in 2015.

However, the extent to which Salzburg have dominated Austrian football in recent years is on a similar level to Bayern in Germany, with Die Roten Bulen winning each of the last eight titles.

As such, it is difficult to truly judge Marsch as a manager, but he will be acutely aware that the challenge in front of him at Leipzig is far greater, even if he has been significantly backed in the transfer market with seven first-team players signed for a total of around £80m.

With Nagelsmann ultimately failing to win a trophy during his time at Leipzig, despite undoubtedly improving them and impressively guiding them to a Champions League semi-final in 2019-20, Marsch will be looking to go one step further than his predecessor, with the DFB-Pokal perhaps the most realistic way of doing so.

SV Sandhausen form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L



Team News

Despite being sent off after receiving two cautions in the defeat to Jahn, Oumar Diakhite will be available for selection against Leipzig on Saturday.

The central defender will instead miss his side's home match against Karlsruher next weekend, with league suspensions not carrying over to the DFB-Pokal.

Leipzig, meanwhile, may have to wait for Brian Brobbey and Dominik Szoboszlai to make their competitive debuts for the club due to the pair both carrying muscular injuries.

Szoboszlai failed to make an appearance after joining the club in January due to an adductor issue, which also caused him to miss Hungary's Euro 2020 campaign.

Nineteen-year-old Brobbey, meanwhile, has arrived on a free transfer from Ajax to provide competition for fellow new signing Andre Silva, who will be expected to provide the missing piece of the jigsaw as a genuinely elite centre-forward for Leipzig.

Silva was absent in the recent friendly against Ajax but should be involved on Saturday, although most likely from the bench after returning to pre-season later than some of his teammates due to his summer exploits with Portugal.

Mohamed Simakan, however, will almost certainly start after being signed from Strasbourg as the man expected to fill the void of the departed Dayot Upamecano, who has followed Nagelsmann to Bayern, especially with Ibrahima Konate also departing for Liverpool.

Dani Olmo is not available due to his involvement with Spain Under-23s at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old may not be seen in the Bundesliga for a while having also played a key role for Spain at Euro 2020.

SV Sandhausen possible starting lineup:
Drewes; Diakhite, Hohn, Zhirov; Renneke, Bachmann, Zenga, Okoroji; Soukou, Keita-Ruel, Esswein

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulasci; Mukiele, Orban, Simakan, Angelino; Haidara, Kampl, Adams; Samardzic, Sorloth, Nkunku


We say: SV Sandhausen 0-2 RB Leipzig

After making a disappointing start to their league season, we expect Sandhausen to scrap and remain competitive in the game.

Leipzig are at an earlier stage of their campaign, and may take time to gel under Marsch's tutelage. However, they should still have too much quality for a side which was almost relegated to the third tier last season.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data




body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__458219 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-08-06 05:39:57:
html db last update - 2021-08-05 16:16:10 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Sports Mole's Bundesliga Team of the Season - Lewandowski, Haaland, Muller
Liverpool 'resigned to missing out on top managerial candidate'
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1St Pauli26159248252354
2Holstein Kiel26154749341549
3Hamburger SV26135850371344
4Fortuna DusseldorfDusseldorf26127756342243
5Hannover261010647351240
6SC PaderbornSC Paderborn2611694043-339
7Karlsruher SCKarlsruher26108855411438
8Greuther Furth26115103738-138
9Hertha Berlin2610795043737
10Nuremberg26106103545-1036
11Elversberg26105113943-435
12Magdeburg2687113841-331
13Wehen WiesbadenWiesbaden2687113034-431
14Schalke 04Schalke2693144254-1230
15KaiserslauternKaiserslautern2685134251-929
16Hansa RostockHansa Rostock2684142441-1728
17Eintracht BraunschweigBraunschweig2683152539-1427
18VfL OsnabruckOsnabruck2639142453-2918
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Man City injury, suspension list vs. Arsenal - De Bruyne, Stones and more

1

MC

Real Madrid 'priced out of move for Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold'

2

RM

Man City quoted £86m for "exceptional" Newcastle man?

NEW

3

MC

Key Man City duo miss training ahead of Arsenal title clash

4

KM

Man Utd could raise £105m through player sales this summer

5

MU

How Barcelona could line up against Las Palmas

6

HB

Record-breaking Arsenal teenager signs first professional contract

7

RA

Key midfield trio 'absent from Real Madrid training on Thursday'

8

KM

Preview: Bayern vs. Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PB

Preview: RB Leipzig vs. Mainz - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PR


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .