Leipzig psycho trick: Qualifying week for Bayern hit

In order to prevent FC Bayern Munich's championship celebrations, RB Leipzig coach Zsolt Löw is relying on a psychological trick. "We have declared the qualifying week. Everyone can show how much they want to play against Bayern Munich. That influenced the starting line-up," said the 46-year-old.

After the embarrassing 4-0 loss in Frankfurt, Löw deliberately avoided tactical analysis, saying that all that matters to him on Saturday (3.30pm/Sky) is "motivation, passion and fun". The lost "inner ambition" should be rediscovered. According to Löw, the fact that Bayern can become champions for the 34th time with an early win does not play a major role: "As a coach, I don't want to be the party crasher. I just want to win a soccer match."

Without the Hungarian duo, with space

In terms of personnel, things only look marginally better than in previous weeks. Captain Willi Orban is still injured in his thigh, goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is still to be protected after his concussion. Only David Raum is ready again after a full week of training and is set to play on the left side of defence.

Löw has fond memories of Bayern as Leipzig's assistant coach. In their first home clash of 2017, they led 4:2 until the 84th minute before conceding 4:5 in stoppage time. "I happened to see the game in the hotel that week. It gave me a few ideas on how we could approach the game," said Löw.

Simons captain again?

Löw has fond memories of the only victory in the Red Bull Arena to date - a 2-1 win in March 2018: "That was a historic day. We finally beat Bayern for once. The images are still in my head, I don't need a video for that."

Löw left it open as to whether Xavi Simons will captain the team again. The 22-year-old did not live up to expectations in Frankfurt. "It's clear that he can't yet do what someone with 300 or 400 games as captain can," said Löw. "He still has room for improvement in this area."