RB Leipzig vs Besiktas – Champions League – Preview

RB Leipzig vs Besiktas – Wednesday, December 6, 19:45GMT/20:45CET – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany

RB Leipzig vs Besiktas will take place at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Play, win and hope. Leipzig are in the problematic situation that they are no longer in control of their fate on matchday 6. RB Leipzig are currently third with seven points in Group G behind Porto, who are also on seven points. It, therefore, makes it a difficult group to predict the final result and you can use Betway to place your bets on the outcome. But Leipzig have lost the head-to-head to Porto and therefore have to hope that Porto stumble at home to AS Monaco.

It is a difficult predicament die Roten Bullen find themselves in. Leipzig beat Porto at home 3-2 in what was a spectacular contest. Leipzig, however, squandered a brilliant position with an unnecessary 3-1 defeat to Porto in Portugal. The spectacular 4-1 victory on matchday 5 against Monaco may have been too little too late for the German Bundesliga side.

Given that this is Leipzig’s first ever Champions League season inconsistent results were calculated during the group stage. It has been indeed difficult to predict what sort of Leipzig side will show up on any given day. Coached by Ralph Hasenhüttl the side seems to be capable of crushing opponents, but at the same time also sustaining heavy defeats—which was evident this weekend when Leipzig lost 4-0 to Hoffenheim. Overall, however, the group stage will be considered a success in Leipzig no matter what the outcome will be on Wednesday night. Playing in a tough group Leipzig have shown that they are competitive in Europe.

Besiktas in the meantime have impressed in this Group G and have stayed unbeaten in the first five games. Head coach Senol Günes would like to keep his unbeaten record, but at the same time might be forced to rotate his squad given that Besiktas have primarily used just 14 to 15 players this season and have recently played a tough match against Galatasaray. As a result, some of the top stars will be left of the starting eleven, which will give Leipzig the opportunity to get the job done at home, and then hope that Monaco can do their part in Portugal…

RB Leipzig vs Besiktas – Players to look out for:

Naby Keïta #8 – RB Leipzig

Naby Keïta is finally back in form. The Guinean midfielder raised some eyebrows with his extravagant outfits and a series of suspensions following the announcement of his 2018 transfer to Liverpool. Both sporting director Ralf Rangnick and head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl have spoken with Keïta and stressed the importance of focusing on the now rather than his summer transfer to the English Premier League. The conversations seemed to have worked as Keïta has been one of the best Leipzig players in recent weeks.

Naby Keïta has seen his form improved in recent weeks. (ROBERT MICHAEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Anderson Talisca #94 – Besiktas

On loan from Benfica Talisca has quickly established himself as one of the most fascinating attacking midfielders of the Turkish Süper Lig. Strong, tall and dynamic Talisca has all the tools to become one of the best-attacking midfielders in Europe, and it is no surprise that he is already linked with a move to the likes of Bayern München and Wednesday’s opponent RB Leipzig. With six goals and two assists in 19 games, Talisca is a dangerous player, who tends to score spectacular goals and Leipzig have to do well to stop the talented Brazilian.

Talisca will be Besiktas’ key player on Wednesday night. (OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

RB Leipzig vs Besiktas – Match Stats

• This is the German side’s first home game against Turkish opponents and just their sixth European fixture overall.
• At home, Leipzig’s group record is W1 D1. They opened with a 1-1 draw against Monaco before beating Porto 3-2.
• Leipzig are the 12th club to represent Germany in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
• On matchday 1, the German side became the first team from any country to make their European debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
• This is the first time Beşiktaş have reached the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.
• Their best European Cup campaign came in 1986-87 when they got to the quarter-finals before losing 7-0 on aggregate to Dynamo Kyiv.

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: RB Leipzig vs Besiktas 2-1

RB Leipzig vs Besiktas – Lineups

RB Leipzig:

Formation: 3-4-3

Gulasci – Bernardo, Orban, Upamecano, Halstenberg – Keïta, Demme – Kampl, Forsberg – Poulsen, Werner

Head Coach: Ralph Hasenhüttl

Besiktas:

Formation:

Fabri – Necip Uysal, Pepe, Tosic, Adriano – Medel, Arslan – Babel, Talisca, Lens – Negredo

Head Coach: Senol GünesManuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and social media editor at Bundesliga.com. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which will be available in print soon. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.