With the chasing pack not far behind, RB Leipzig will hope to cling onto their Champions League spot when they host St Pauli at Red Bull Arena on Sunday in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig's tally of 33 points sees them come into the weekend in fourth place in the final Champions League qualification spot, but fifth-placed Stuttgart are just one point behind, while St Pauli are 13th with 21 points and drew 1-1 with Augsburg on February 1.
Match preview
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Die Roten Bullen were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Union Berlin last Saturday, a game in which they only produced 0.27 xG compared to their opponents' figure of 1.27 xG.
The hosts have been kept out for two consecutive games having also lost 1-0 against Sturm Graz in the Champions League on January 29, though they did score 12 goals in their prior five matches.
Leipzig have struggled against teams in the bottom half of the table, with costly draws against St Pauli, VfL Bochum and Union Berlin, as well as a defeat against Hoffenheim in late November, dragging them into a battle for Europe.
Marco Rose's side could find themselves out of the top four by the time matchweek 21 comes to an end considering just three points separate them from ninth-placed Freiburg, while 10th-placed Wolfsburg and 11th-placed Borussia Dortmund are just four points behind.
Die Roten Bullen are winless in their past four matches in the top flight – drawing their past three – and have conceded 14 goals in their last six in the league.
Leipzig's record in the Bundesliga at Red Bull Arena is phenomenal, with the club winning 10, drawing five and losing just one of their 16 most recent outings at home.
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As for the visitors, they performed excellently from a defensive perspective against Augsburg considering they only faced a total of two shots, and they can count themselves unfortunate to have conceded in the 83rd minute.
St Pauli have already faced Leipzig twice this season, and though they managed to earn a point in the league after drawing 0-0 with Sunday's hosts on September 22, they lost 4-2 against Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal on October 29.
Head coach Alexander Blessin's side have scored 18 goals and conceded 22 times in the Bundesliga, and these are the division's third-worst offensive and second-best defensive records.
Kiezkicker come into the clash in good form having drawn one and triumphed in two of their past three outings, conceding just once.
It should also be noted that they have achieved victory in two of their last three away fixtures, though they have still been beaten in seven of their 13 matches on the road this term.
Team News
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Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs is set to miss the rest of the season, and he joins midfielders Forzan Assan Ouedraogo and Xaver Schlager on the sidelines.
David Raum, Lukas Klostermann, Willi Orban and Castello Lukeba are likely to start in defence, and they may be shielded by a double pivot of Nicolas Seiwald and Amadou Haidara.
Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko will almost certainly be partnered by each other up front, though Yussuf Poulsen is struggling with a thigh injury.
St Pauli are dealing with numerous absences, including goalkeepers Sascha Burchert and Soren Ahlers, so expect Nikola Vasilj to start between the posts.
Centre-backs Hauke Wahl, Eric Smith and David Nemeth are likely to protect Vasilj considering Karol Mets and Manolis Saliakas have been ruled out, while Jackson Irvine and James Sands may feature in midfield given Robert Wagner will play no part on Sunday.
Forwards Simon Zoller and Morgan Guilavogui are unavailable, and this could mean striker Johannes Eggestein will be supported by Oladapo Afolayan and Noah Weisshaupt.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Klostermann, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Nusa, Seiwald, Haidara, Xavi; Sesko, Openda
St Pauli possible starting lineup:
Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Nemeth; Treu, Irvine, Sands, Ritzka; Afolayan, Eggestein, Weisshaupt
We say: RB Leipzig 1-1 St Pauli
St Pauli have been excellent at keeping their opponents out, and it is difficult to see how a struggling Leipzig side will be able to cause them significant problems.
However, the hosts rarely suffer defeat at home, so it would not be surprising if the two teams played out a closely fought stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
