Leipzig targeting Juve scalp

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Leipzig have been in excellent domestic form of late, with Saturday’s comfortable 4-0 win at home to Augsburg extending their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to a division-leading 16 matches stretching back to last season. It was a top attacking display from Xavi Simons, Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško, who bagged a brace to go with the goal he got in the opening Champions League fixture. However, Die Roten Bullen were beaten late on that occasion away at Atlético Madrid, meaning they’re still looking for their first points of the league phase. The manner of the weekend’s win may mean coach Marco Rose opts to stick with the same XI, which saw summer signings Lutsharel Geertruida and Antonio Nusa operate down the right. Benjamin Henrichs is also an option at full-back, while Arthur Vermeeren will compete with Nicolas Seiwald to partner Amadou Haidara in midfield, given the injury-enforced absences of Kevin Kampl and Xaver Schlager.

This young Leipzig attack will face a stern test against the Old Lady of Italian football. Juventus are yet to lose this season and haven’t conceded a single goal in six Serie A fixtures so far. Saturday’s 3-0 win at Genoa took the Turin club up to second in the table behind Napoli. The only goal they’ve let in all term came in their Champions League opener, when PSV Eindhoven netted an added-time consolation in Juve’s 3-1 win. Schalke youth product Weston McKennie was among the scorers in that tie a fortnight ago, while Dušan Vlahović got the first two against Genoa. Despite the team’s near perfect defensive record this term, coach Thiago Motta made a change in goal at the weekend as Mattia Perin started. However, it’s expected that Michele Di Gregorio will return, having featured in five out of seven fixtures in 2024/25.

Watch: Leipzig breezed past Augsburg at the weekend

Match stats

• Openda has four goals to show for his first nine Champions League appearances for Leipzig.
• Leipzig are playing Champions League football for the seventh time. Their best run was to the 2019/20 semi-finals.
• Die Roten Bullen have won two, drawn one and lost one of their four meetings with Italian opposition to date.
• Rose's team have only lost one of their last 19 competitive games (the 2-1 defeat to Atléti).
• Leipzig are the 10th different German club to face Juventus in UEFA competition, after Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Hertha Berlin. 
• McKennie made 75 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke between May 2017 and the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Probable teams

Leipzig: Gulácsi - Henrichs, Orbán (c), Castello, Raum - Nusa, Haidara, Seiwald, Xavi - Šeško, Openda
Out: Kampl (groin), Ouédraogo (knee), Schlager (knee)
Doubtful: Elmas (knock)
Coach: Marco Rose

Juventus: Di Gregorio - Kalulu, Gatti (c), Bremer, Cambiaso - McKennie, Locatelli, Koopmeiners - González, Vlahović, Yıldız
Out: Milik (knee)
Doubtful: Adžić (muscular), Weah (ankle)
Coach: Thiago Motta

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