Bundesliga: Leipzig's title tilt suffers another setback

One win, one draw and one loss from the opening three games of the Rückrunde is not the form of a title winner. That is the stark reality Leipzig are facing following a come-from-behind 2-2 draw against fellow high flyers Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday evening. 

Christopher Nkunku's stunning finish in the final minute of normal time elicited a range of emotions from the home crowd of which relief was the most prevalent. Leipzig had failed to assert themselves on the game during a first half in which the pace was dictated at both ends of the pitch by Marco Rose's impressive charges. 

"We couldn't get anything done at the start," admitted Marcel Sabitzer after the game. "We couldn't find any solutions at the back and made some catastrophic errors. A half to forget. After the break, we needed to show emotions and a good mentality."

The fact that Dennis Zakaria had marked Timo Werner out of the game in the opening 45 minutes prompted Julian Nagelsmann to shift his star striker out wide, bringing on both Yussuf Poulsen and Patrick Schick at the break. Schick repaid the faith by reducing the arrears within five minutes of the restart, but it was the sending off of Alassane Plea for two instances of dissent in the space of 60 seconds that changed the game. The man advantage allowed Leipzig to pile on the pressure, which ultimately told courtesy of Nkunku's moment of individual brilliance.

It's the first time since a four-game winless streak in October that Die Roten Bullen have dropped points in successive league games, which has seen them drop off top spot in the Bundesliga for the first time since Matchday 16. Ahead of next weekend's trip to Munich they now trail new league leaders Bayern by a point. Had Plea kept his cool it could have been two.  

"It's not a nice feeling to lose top spot after two games like these," said Sabitzer. "We now need to pull together and get back on track. Going to Munich is never easy. We'll prepare well, in order to get a result there."

Leipzig have picked up 13 points from losing positions in the current campaign. While that speaks to a strength of mind, it also underlines the fragile nature of their title bid. As does the manner in which Frankfurt and Gladbach managed to neutralise them. With 14 games left to play, Leipzig's ability to hold their nerve will be the true measure of their credentials and, on that front, they have a point to prove next week in Munich.  

Leipzig 2-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach - As it happened!

FULL TIME VERDICT! Leipzig have Christopher Nkunku and Alassane Plea to thank for overturning a two-goal half-time deficit in a breathtaking clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Their man advantage proved too much for the Foals, but the point isn't enough for Leipzig to retain top spot in the Bundesliga. They trail Bayern by a point ahead of next week's trip to Munich.

90+4' - Leipzig are searching for a winner, but Gladbach are holding firm.

90+1' - Five minutes of time added one.

90' GOAL Leipzig 2-2 Gladbach (Nkunku) - Can you believe it? Leipzig complete the comeback and level the scores in the last minute of normal time. Gladbach clear their lines from a cross, the ball falls to Nkunku who is short of options and as a result jumps puts his foot through the ball to produce an unstoppable effort that flies into the far corner. Scenes! 

87' - Shots on goal in the second half: Leipzig 12, Gladbach 1.

86' CHANCE! - Timo Werner is the latest to fire of a snapshot that Sommer proves equal to. That one looked like it would have crept into the bottom corner too.

85' PALMS STUNG - Leipzig take a free-kick short and when no one closes Sabitzer down, he drills an effort at goal from 35 yards that moves in the air. Sommer makes the save before gobbling up the loose ball at the second attempt. 

82' OFF THE POST! - Leipzig are having to work in very tight spaces with Gladbach camped inside their own half, but they rattle the woodwork when Olmo chances his arm from a tight angle.

79' - Leipzig are cranking up the pressure as we approach the final 10 minutes. There are a whole host of white shirts in the Gladbach box ready to pounce if they can just fashion the clear-cut chance they're so desperate for.

78' GOOD SAVE! - The chance opened up for Dani Olmo to make a name for himself on his Leipzig debut, but his shot is palmed clear by Sommer.

75' - Marco Rose has just had a long chat with referee Tobias Stieler after Embolo caught an elbow from Halstenberg in a challenge. He voices his feelings and is shown a yellow card. You can imagine the sentiments. 

73' - Since the restart, Leipzig have had seven shots, while Gladbach have had none. The visitors have dropped a lot deeper since being reduced to ten men.

70' CHANCE! - Julian Nagelsmann makes his final change of the game as he sends on new recruit Dani Olmo for Tyler Adams. From the free-kick that led to the break in play Schick ghosts in at the back post and heads just wide. 

SNAPSHOT FROM LEIPZIG

68' - Some fun facts about Plea's sending off. In his previous 51 Bundesliga games he'd only ever picked up two yellow cards, tonight he got two in less than 30 seconds. It's Gladbach's second sending off of the season with Tobias Stieler also the referee when Remy Bensebaini picked up two bookable offences against Bremen.

66' - Free-kick for Leipzig to the left of Yann Sommer's goal. Sabitzer steps up, but puts his effort wide.

64' - Tempers are starting to flare now.

63' - With Gladbach down to ten-men, Rose has thrown on the fresh legs of Breel EMbolo to replace Thuram.

61' RED CARD (Plea) - What a turn of events! Alassane Plea rides a challenge from Sabitzer and then loses the ball. His remonstrations for not being awarded a foul cross the line for referee tobias Stieler and is shown a yellow card. The Frenchman waves off the decision with a hand gestures and a few choice words and promptly picks up his second booking to be sent off.

58' - Leipzig have already had as many shot in the second half as they had in the entirity of the first half. 

56' - This was a fascinating fixtue in the first-half which is turning into a real blockbuster. The pace of play is frantic at times. 

55' - Nkunku's corner is met by the head of Upamecano, but the aerial effort is tame in the end.

53' - Leipzig still look vulnerable at the back and misplaced passes are still an issue, but reducing the arrears has lit a fire under the hosts.

50' GOAL Leipzig 1-2 Gladbach (Schick) - Instant impact from the half-time substitute. Sommer comes off his line to collect a long ball forward and, in falling over the back of Zakaria on his way to ground, drops the ball which is slotted home by the thankful Schick. VAR deems there's no foul on Sommer and the goal stands. 

47' - As a result of those changes, Adams has dropped back to right-back, Werner has shift out wide on the left leaving Poulsen and Schick to lead the line up front.

SECOND HALF! Julian Nagelsmann has reacted to his side's predicament by making two changes at half-time. Yussuf Poulsen and Patrick Schick are on, Emil Forsberg and Nordi Mukiele.

OH DEAR! Leipzig only had three shots on goal before the break - their lowest first-half figure since Julian Nagelsmann took over.

GAME ON IN THE SECOND HALF? We mentioned earlier how no lead will feel safe between these two, even one of a 2-0 variety at half-time. After all, Leipzig have picked up points from this position once already this season in the 3-3 draw with Borussia Dortmund.

HALF-TIME VERDICT: Gladbach have learned their lessons from the reverse fixture and are executing a near-flawless gameplan that has seen them control and dictate the pace of proceedings, whilst forcing mistakes out of Leipzig and posing the greater threat. The only thing for Rose to bemoan is that his side aren't further ahead on the scoresheet.

45' CHANCE' - Leipzig are caught on the front foot again as Gladbach break with Wendt in space. The Swede cuts the ball back to Plea who dummies inside only to see his goalbound effort blocked. 

42' - Hofmann's goal was his first in the Bundesliga since November 2018. His sixth goal for Gladbach is his first on foreign soil.

41' - Tonight is only the second time this season that Leipzig have conceded twice on home soil. Schalke were the only other side to achieve the feat in a 3-1 win.

40' - Leipzig look incredibly unsure of themselves in certain situations and aren't moving the ball as sharply as we've become accustomed to. They just can't get anything going.

35' GOAL Leipzig 0-2 Gladbach (Hofmann) - Gladbach shot themselves in the foot more than once in the 3-0 loss earlier this season and Leipzig are returning the favour tonight. A sloppy mistake at the back allows the visitors to play in Hofmann in the box. He skips past a lazy challenge from Upamecano and slots into the bottom corner.  

34' WHAT A TACKLE! - Gladbach have picked up where Frankfurt left off and should have been 2-0 up. Thuram breaks the offside trap and is clear through on goal 40 yards out only for Upamecano to make up 10 yards on his compatriot to put in a last ditch tackle. 

33' - Wendt has already teed up Plea once tonight and he looks to do so again as Gladbach break again, but his cross is just a yard too long for the Frenchman.

30' - In the meantime it looks like Upamecano has recovered from his earlier knock.

28' - Kramer has a history of head injuries, first being knocked out in the 2014 World Cup final, and this doesn't look good. He's being carried off the pitch  and looks like a drunk friend at four in the morning. 

27' - Somewhere in the mix Christoph Kramer also took an unintentional kick to head from Timo Werner when the two tangled in midfield.

26' - Upamecano looks like he's picked up an injury and, as Leipzig's only recognised center-back, this could be a hefty blow to Julian Nagelsmann's hopes of coming from behind in this one.

24' GOAL Leipzig 0-1 Gladbach (Plea) - They almost played one pass too many, but it's a brilliant goal from start to finish. Another Leipzig attack fizzles out with Zakaria man-marking Werner out of the game and Gladbach move it quickly down the right wing to Thuram. His cutback finds Hofmann, who shifts it to Wendt, who shifts it back for Plea to sweep home beyond Gulacsi. Breathtaking. 

22' - Timo Werner was the three-goal hero the last time these two sides met - tonight he's had just 5 touches of the ball. The home side are struggling to pose a threat in the final third which isn't something that happens often on home soil.

18' - First booking of the night goes to Gladbach's Neuhaus after he catches Upamecano late. 

16' HUGE CHANCE! - Plea picks up the ball in midfield and plays a lovely pass into feet for Hofmann, who shift the ball onto his favored right foot only to bend his shot wide from inside the area.

15' - Leipzig have tried at least three different approaches in the opening quarter of an hour. Nkunku has played off the shoulder of Werner and as the lone striker with Werner drifting wide. Now Werner has adopted the lone striker role. It's a very free-form apporach.  

12'  GOALMOUTH SCRAMBLE! - Nkunku's free-kick wreaks havoc in the Gladbach box. The ball falls kindly to Klostermann, his effort is fierce, but right at Sommer. Bodies hit the floor in the scramble to latch onto the rebound and a foul is given against the hosts. 

10' - Leipzig's 3-0 win in the reverse fixture on Matchday 3 saw Gladbach caught out on the counter on more than one occasion. They're not shying away from playing with a high line though.

8' - Werner flashes a delivery right across the face of Sommer's goal, but there are no Leipzig takers to get the decisive touch it needed.

6' STRONG SAVE - Plea fashions a yard of space on the edge of the Leipzig box and draws a save out of Gulacsi with a shot heading towards the bottom corner. Wendt's follow up effort is blocked. 

5' - Interestingly, Denis Zakaria has slotted in at the heart of Gladbach's backline which is now of the three-man variety. It's the second time this season he's filled that role - the other was against Dortmund.

3' - Gladbach have come out with the clear intention of pressing Leipzig high up the pitch, which has forced a few early long balls out of the hosts.

KICK OFF! 

We're underway in Leipzig in a game that will shape the top of the table come the end of 90 minutes. Can't wait!

18:15 — Emil Forsberg features in the Leipzig starting line-up for the first time in 2020, while recent acquistion Dani Olmo has to settle for a place ont he bench. Fellow winter signing Angelino does not feature in the match day squad having only completed his deal on deadline day.

18:05 — Marcus Thuram has six goals to his name in the current campaign, but hasn't found the back of the net in six outings. 

18:00 — With seven goals to his name this season, Marcel Sabitzer is just one goal away from equalling his personal best tally in a single Bundesliga season. The Austrian scored eight times in the 2016/17 campaign - Leipzig's first in the Bundesliga - but he has never scored against Gladbach. 

17:40 — Matthias Ginter is the only current Gladbach player to have celebrated a win against Leipzig: he was in the BVB side which beat RBL 1-0 in February 2017. 

CONFIRMED LINE-UPS: Leipzig

Gulacsi – Mukiele, Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg – Adams, Laimer – Sabitzer, Forsberg, Nkunku – Werner

CONFIRMED LINE-UPS: Gladbach

Sommer – Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Wendt – Kramer – Zakaria, Hofmann – Neuhaus – Thuram, Plea 

17:25 ​​— No lead will feel safe tonight. After coming from behind to beat Mainz 3-1, Gladbach have now taken 12 points from losing positions in the Bundesliga this season – a joint league high with, you guessed it, Leipzig.

17:15 ​​​​​— Few would have predicted it before the season started, but tonight's encounter is also a meeting of the two teams that have spent the most match days at the Bundesliga summit. Both Leipzig and Gladbach have enjoyed eight match days in first place, Dortmund have done so twice, while Bayern have only spent one weekend atop the pile. 

17:00 ​​​​​— In a game of high stakes at the top of the Bundesliga, the form books don't bode well for Gladbach, who have only won one of their last six away matches in the league. Those aren't confidence-boosting numbers when going up against a Leipzig side with just one loss in their last 16 league games on home soil. 

16:45 ​​​​​— For Gladbach head coach Marco Rose, tonight's game marks a homecoming in Leipzig. DW's Matt Ford has the lowdown on the 43-year-old, who isn't facing RB Leipzig for the first time in his coaching career. 

16:30 — Hello and welcome one and all to DW's live coverage of Leipzig's Topspiel against Gladbach. At the start of play yesterday this was a clash between first and third, as things stand it's been demoted to a top-four tussle with Bayern and Dortmund both boasting comfortable leads in the earlier kick-offs.

Fun fact:

Leipzig have only lost one of their last 12 Bundesliga games on a Saturday evening (W9, D2): 1-0 at home to Dortmund in January 2019. They’ve won each of their last four Topspiel fixtures. Conversely, Borussia Mönchengladbach haven’t won any of their last five Bundesliga games on a Saturday evening (D2, L3), failing to score in their four most recent Topspiel fixtures. 

Fun fact:

RB Leipzig’s 2-0 defeat at Frankfurt last time out was their first Bundesliga loss since the end of October (2-1 in Freiburg). They were last beaten in back-to-back BL games in April 2018 (5-2 against Hoffenheim, 3-0 in Mainz).

Pre-match spotlight: Timo Werner

Timo Werner drew a rare blank in the defeat to Frankfurt, but history suggests it won’t happen in back-to-back games. The 23-year-old has scored eight goals in his first seven Bundesliga games against Gladbach for Leipzig, only netting more against Mainz (10). Not only that, he also scored his first senior hat-trick in the reverse fixture in the Hinrunde this season. 

Pre-match spotlight: Alassane Plea

The Frenchman's brace last weekend, which inspired Gladbach to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Mainz, was the first time the frontman had scored more than once in a single league game since November 2018 when he netted a hat-trick against Werder Bremen. Plea has had a hand in 12 goals (seven goals, five assists), but if Borussia can get him firing on all cylinders, their title tilt may still have legs left in it. 

From the coaches mouth: Julian Nagelsmann

"Gladbach have a very powerful and flexible attack. They play at a high tempo and have clear patterns of play when they go forward. We have a huge game in front of us and we are going to give everything we have! Both teams want to play attractive football and have a strong mentality. I'm expecting a close game and I'm really looking forward to it."

From the coaches mouth: Marco Rose

“Everyone is aware of Timo Werner's quality, but Leipzig have a number of other threats. We can't just worry about dealing with Werner's pace. We're coming off the back of a win and go to Leipzig full of confidence. However, we need to deliver a top performance on the day." 

Possible line-ups: Leipzig

Gulacsi – Mukiele, Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg – Adams, Laimer – Sabitzer, Forsberg – Werner, Schick 

Possible line-ups: Gladbach

Sommer – Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Wendt – Kramer, Zakaria – Herrmann, Stindl, Thuram – Plea 

Historic form

Gladbach have failed to beat Leipzig in their first seven Bundesliga meetings (D2, L5) – they only took longer to pick up their first BL win over Bayern and Frankfurt (8 games each). The Foals’ points per game average against Leipzig (0.29) is lower than against any other side in the Bundesliga that they have faced at least twice.