RB Leipzig must do without national team player Baku in the cup

Leipzig coach Ole Werner has to rebuild his back four. This is because RB will have to do without international player Ridle Baku for the round of 16 in the DFB Cup against second-division bottom side 1. FC Magdeburg this Tuesday (21:00/Sky). According to the head coach, the full-back suffered an ankle injury in the Gladbach game. Assan Ouédraogo (knee), El Chadaille Bitshiabu (muscle injury) and Romulo (knee) had previously been ruled out for the two-time cup winners. Timo Werner is also out of the squad due to muscle problems.

Lukas Klostermann or Kosta Nedeljkovic could be an option for the back four, confirmed Werner, who expects a strong opponent: "Magdeburg has stood for a certain type of soccer for many years and has a lot of technically strong players". Apart from the 3-0 win against Nuremberg, FCM have not been as effective in front of goal recently. "But it's a team that can pose problems for a first division team," emphasized Werner.

Rotation in the RB goal

In contrast to FCM, there will be a change of goalkeeper for Leipzig, as there was in the first two cup games. Maarten Vandevoordt will once again be in the starting eleven for Peter Gulacsi. "Maarten is taking the situation well and is training at a very, very good level. He confirms what we think of him," praised Werner.

The two teams will meet for the first time in the DFB Cup. There has also never been a clash in the Bundesliga or in the lower house. The previous six matches took place exclusively in the Regionalliga (2010-2013).

RB should nevertheless be warned. Magdeburg, who won 3-1 in Saarbrücken in the first round and then 3-0 at FC Illertissen, have a special cup history as the only European Cup winners of the former GDR (1974). In 2000, FCM stormed through to the quarter-finals as a lower-ranked club, beating FC Bayern and 1. FC Köln in the process. In 2017, FC Augsburg was defeated in the first round.