RB Leipzig and Union Berlin will meet for the second time in four days when they go head to head at the Red Bull Arena in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The two sides met in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals on Wednesday evening, with the hosts netting a stoppage-time winner to seal their progress to next month's final.

Match preview

Emil Forsberg was the hero on Wednesday, with the Swedish international coming off the bench to net that dramatic winner with a thumping header.

Leipzig had been left frustrated for much of the cup tie up to that point, with Union putting in a stubborn display to restrict their free-flowing hosts to very little.

However, the result extended Die Roten Bullen's winning streak to four matches in all competitions, and their unbeaten run to an impressive 15 matches.

Their last defeat came in a narrow 3-2 setback at league leaders Bayern Munich in February, with that loss being just one of two suffered under Domenico Tedesco.

The 36-year-old boss has enjoyed a hugely successful time with the Red Bull outfit since taking over in December, with a cup final on the horizon next month, and a Europa League semi-final tie with Rangers to look forward to next week.

Attentions and focus must switch back to the Bundesliga for the time being however, where Tedesco has overseen their climb up the table in the second half of the season, which has got their Champions League qualification goals back on track in the progress.

The 1-0 victory at fellow top-four hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen last weekend saw Leipzig leapfrog Die Werkself into third place, with a three-point advantage being opened up in recent weeks over fifth-placed Freiburg.

The big games keep on coming for Saturday's hosts as they continue their fight on three fronts in the final few weeks of the campaign, with another fixture against Union no exception either.

Meanwhile, Union will be looking for revenge when they make their second trip to the Red Bull Arena in the space of a week.

Being knocked out at the semi-finals stage of the DFB-Pokal in stoppage time is certainly a tough one to take, especially when Sheraldo Becker's early goal is taken into account, which provided Union with the lead for a significant amount of time in the tie.

Urs Fischer's men can still enjoy a successful end to the campaign though, with last weekend's 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt being their third successive win in the Bundesliga, and it was one that saw them climb up to sixth place in the table.

With only five points separating Die Eisernen from Leverkusen in fourth, their slim hopes of reaching next season's Champions League remain alive, particularly given the drop off in form by Gerardo Seoane's side of late.

Another daunting trip to Leipzig could stop them in their tracks again though, with Wednesday's defeat at the Red Bull Arena meaning they have now lost on all five of their previous trips to the venue.

In fact, ever since returning to the Bundesliga in the 2019-20 campaign, Union's away form has held them back, and with just four victories on the road in the league this season, the odds will be against them once more at the weekend.

Team News

The hectic fixture congestion has done little to impact Leipzig's performances and results of late, with Tedesco having great strength in depth, which allows him to continue rotating his starting lineup.

Despite registering 30 goals and 16 assists in 45 games this season, Christopher Nkunku could be one of those rotated after playing the full 90 minutes in midweek, with the Frenchman also being restricted to an appearance off the bench at Leverkusen last weekend.

Amadou Haidara is the only confirmed absentee for the hosts, although Lukas Klostermann could be unavailable once more after missing the cup victory due to COVID-19.

As for the visitors, first-choice goalkeeper Andreas Luthe remains a doubt for the trip due to the muscular problem that has seen him miss the last four fixtures.

Frederik Ronnow has impressed in his place however, and looks set to continue between the posts on Saturday.

The only other absence for Fischer to contend with is that of Timo Baumgartl, with the defender's fifth yellow card of the season last weekend seeing him ruled out due to a one-match suspension.

Dominique Heintz should come into the back three in his place, whilst Niko Giesselmann is expected to dislodge Bastian Oczipka in the wing-back role after being rested in midweek.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Simakan, Orban, Gvardiol; Henrichs, Laimer, Kampl, Angelino; Forsberg; Nkunku, Silva

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Ronnow; Jaeckel, Knoche, Heintz; Trimmel, Haraguchi, Khedira, Promel, Giesselmann; Becker, Awoniyi

We say: RB Leipzig 3-1 Union Berlin

As was the case in midweek, we can see Leipzig coming out on top here against a visiting Union side that lacks the same quality and intensity when playing on the road.

The late winner on Wednesday is sure to give the hosts a huge psychological advantage over their opponents too, and with the excellent form that they find themselves in during 2022, it is difficult to see many being able to stop them extending their unbeaten run.

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