Here's how RB coach Demichelis plans to use Nkunku and Baumgartner

Christoph Baumgartner and Christopher Nkunku, who are returning from injury, are initially slated to come off the bench for RB Leipzig. “Christopher has already trained today and is in the squad,” said coach Martin Demichelis ahead of the Saxons’ match at Schalke 04 on Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky) about the Frenchman, who had recently been sidelined with adductor issues. However, he is not in favor of “a player who hasn’t been with the team for 10 days starting right away afterward.”

For the Austrian Baumgartner, who made his comeback just under ten days ago after a long layoff, a spot in the starting lineup is also still too soon. “We’ll see next week,” Demichelis said. The attacking player has impressed in all three of his brief appearances so far. On Tuesday, he scored twice to help RB advance in the cup in Essen.

“He’s feeling good, but you could say those 30 minutes were pretty rough for him—what with the score, being a man down, and the field conditions,” explained his coach, who is nonetheless pleased to have two players of this caliber in that position.

Will the coaching debate surrounding Demichelis continue?

Against a struggling Schalke side, the Saxons now want to finally secure their first away points of the season. RB is the best team in the Bundesliga at home—and the worst on the road. A win against the Royal Blues could also further defuse the coaching debate surrounding Demichelis—which has been simmering for weeks—who only joined Leipzig this summer.

The Argentine warned in particular about Schalke’s defensive strength. “They don’t concede many goals there, they don’t create that many chances either, but they don’t concede many either, so we have to be confident in our style of play,” said the 45-year-old.