DFB Pokal 2022-23: RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

The DFB-Pokal holders host BVB in the quarter-final stage of the cup, in their bid to retain their trophy for the second year in a row, in Leipzig, on Wednesday evening.

RB Leipzig finds themselves with another opportunity to find a silver lining in a faltering 2023, particularly after doing ever so well to progress into the knockout rounds of every competition they've been a part of. They qualified for the Round of 16 in the UCL. They were until recently also considered a title challenger besides Dortmund, in the Bundesliga. They've also managed to reach the quarter-final stage of the DFB-Pokal this year, with a resounding 0-8 win over Tuetonia Ottensen, in Round 1.

It was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Hamburg in Round 2. They made it look easy against Hoffenheim in the Round of 16, in the previous round, with a 3-1 win, to set up a fascinating fixture this round against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals. However, their recent form has indicated that there's been a clear gap in the expectations of the fans to go one step further, where the team has faltered since suffering a heavy loss in the UCL exit to Manchester City.

They've gone on to lose the last four out of their last five fixtures, and things look bleaker than before. However, their last chance at silverware comes in the shape of the DFB-Pokal where they're looking to defend their title, and no better time to go up against a low-on-confidence Borussia Dortmund side, who must still be feeling the effects of a heavy loss to rivals Bayern Munich in the Der Klassiker in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Kick-off: 

Wednesday, 5th April 2023, 06:45 pm (GMT)

Thursday, 6th April 2023, 12:15 pm (IST),

RB Leipzig form (all competitions): L-L-L-W-L

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions): L-W-D-L-W

Players to watch out for

Borussia Dortmund: Julian Brandt

The German midfielder has been very influential for Dortmund, helping his side mount a title chase in the Bundesliga. Up until the weekend's loss to Bayern, his side was leading the table with 53 points from 26 matches. He'd a hand in eight goals & four assists in the league this year. Although he's featured in a couple of fixtures in the cup run so far, he's yet to open the scoring in the competition & will be eager to do so when his side travel to East Germany to take on Die Roten Bullen.

RB Leipzig: Dominik Sbozosolai

The attacking midfielder from Hungary has been the sole reason for RB Leipzig fans to be cheerful about in recent weeks, as their exit from the UCL Round of 16 stages has sparked a slump in form and results on all fronts. However, Sbozosolai has been carrying a load of creative output for his side, in the league where he has four goals & eight assists. He's also yet to open his scoring account in the DFB Pokal but has a couple of assists to his name. Now similar to his goal in the International break against Bulgaria, he'll be hoping to be the spark to help his side progress further into the semi-finals against a well-matched opponent in Dortmund.

Match Facts

• RB Leipzig & Borussia Dortmund have not drawn any of their last eight matches against each other.
• Dortmund hasn't kept a clean sheet in their last five matches.

Team & Injury News

For Dortmund, Reyna, Thomas Meunier, Mateu Morey and Abdoulaye Kamara are all expected to remain sidelined, with injuries. Centre-back Schlotterbeck also suffered an injury against Bayern at the weekend & could miss out.

Leipzig has the usual suspects missing too long-term injuries such as Gulasci, Schlager, Nkunku & Poulsen who'll all miss out.

Head-to-Head Stats

Matches: 15

Leipzig: 5

Dortmund: 8

Draw: 2

Predicted lineups

RB Leipzig predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Laimer, Haidara; Szoboszlai, Olmo; Silva, Werner

Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Hummels, Guerreiro; Can, Bellingham; Brandt, Reus, Adeyemi; Haller

Match Prediction

Leipzig will have another opportunity to salvage their season by going further to defend their DFB-Pokal trophy for 2022-23. Borussia Dortmund might not enjoy another tough away day, immediately after suffering a heavy 4-2 defeat against arch-rivals Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Hence, a closely contested affair could work out in Leipzig's favour on Wednesday.

Prediction: RB Leipzig 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund

Telecast

India – Sony Ten Network and SonyLiv app

UK – Star, Star +, Sky Sports

USA – ESPN+

Nigeria – SportyTV