Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda both scored for RB Leipzig as they beat Augsburg before hosting Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. - © DFL/Getty Images/Boris Streubel

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RB Leipzig vs. Juventus: UEFA Champions League team news, match stats & LIVE blog!

01.10.2024

RB Leipzig host Juventus at the Red Bull Arena targeting their first points of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CEST).

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Leipzig have been in excellent domestic form of late, with Saturday’s comfortable 4-0 win at home to Augsburg extending their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to a division-leading 16 matches stretching back to last season. It was a top attacking display from Xavi Simons, Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško, who bagged a brace to go with the goal he got in the opening Champions League fixture. However, Die Roten Bullen were beaten late on that occasion away at Atlético Madrid, meaning they’re still looking for their first points of the league phase. The manner of the weekend’s win may mean coach Marco Rose opts to stick with the same XI, which saw summer signings Lutsharel Geertruida and Antonio Nusa operate down the right. Benjamin Henrichs is also an option at full-back, while Arthur Vermeeren will compete with Nicolas Seiwald to partner Amadou Haidara in midfield, given the injury-enforced absences of Kevin Kampl and Xaver Schlager.

This young Leipzig attack will face a stern test against the Old Lady of Italian football. Juventus are yet to lose this season and haven’t conceded a single goal in six Serie A fixtures so far. Saturday’s 3-0 win at Genoa took the Turin club up to second in the table behind Napoli. The only goal they’ve let in all term came in their Champions League opener, when PSV Eindhoven netted an added-time consolation in Juve’s 3-1 win. Schalke youth product Weston McKennie was among the scorers in that tie a fortnight ago, while Dušan Vlahović got the first two against Genoa. Despite the team’s near perfect defensive record this term, coach Thiago Motta made a change in goal at the weekend as Mattia Perin started. However, it’s expected that Michele Di Gregorio will return, having featured in five out of seven fixtures in 2024/25.

Watch: Leipzig breezed past Augsburg at the weekend

Match stats

Openda has four goals to show for his first nine Champions League appearances for Leipzig.
Leipzig are playing Champions League football for the seventh time. Their best run was to the 2019/20 semi-finals.
Die Roten Bullen have won two, drawn one and lost one of their four meetings with Italian opposition to date.
Rose's team have only lost one of their last 19 competitive games (the 2-1 defeat to Atléti).
Leipzig are the 10th different German club to face Juventus in UEFA competition, after Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Hertha Berlin.
McKennie made 75 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke between May 2017 and the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Probable teams

Leipzig: Gulácsi - Henrichs, Orbán (c), Castello, Raum - Nusa, Haidara, Seiwald, Xavi - Šeško, Openda
Out: Kampl (groin), Ouédraogo (knee), Schlager (knee)
Doubtful: Elmas (knock)
Coach: Marco Rose

Juventus: Di Gregorio - Kalulu, Gatti (c), Bremer, Cambiaso - McKennie, Locatelli, Koopmeiners - González, Vlahović, Yıldız
Out: Milik (knee)
Doubtful: Adžić (muscular), Weah (ankle)
Coach: Thiago Motta

LIVE blog!

Leipzig

Wed, 02.10 19:00

Juventus

Champions League
League phase, Matchday 2 League phase, Matchday 2 Red Bull Arena

Team news

Leipzig will likely have to do without Kevin Kampl, Assan Ouédraogo and Xaver Schlager while Eljif Elmas is a doubt. Juve won't be able to call upon Milik, Timothy Weah and Vasilije Adzic.

Bundesliga returnees

Juventus boast four recognisable faces in Arkadiusz Milik who played for Leverkusen and Augsburg, Nicolás González, formerly of Stuttgart, and Weston McKennie who was a Schalke regular. Perhaps most dangerous of all, though, is Turkish winger Kenan Yıldız who played in Bayern Munich's academy, but never the first team.

More on Juventus

Under new leadership this season with former midfield general Thiago Motta in the dugout, Juve have been imperious at the back and are the only team in Europe's big five leagues yet to concede a goal this season. Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović leads their attack with four goals, but Juve have already gone three games without scoring this season.

1:06

Watch: The best of Loïs Openda on Matchdays 1 and 2

Among Šeško's incredible supporting cast, Juve will also have to be wary of Loïs Openda, who scored twice against Bayer Leverkusen to end their 43-game domestic unbeaten run on Matchday 2 of the Bundesliga.

1:28

Watch: Every Benjamin Šeško goal in 2023/24

Here's exactly what Juve have to be worried about...

A warning from Šeško

Benjamin Šeško scored his first two Bundesliga goals of the season in the win over Augsburg but he already has another against Atleti, and will be looking to strike again in Europe.

2:03

Watch: RB Leipzig 4-0 Augsburg - highlights

In the league Leipzig have been in sublime form, making it 11 points from a possible 15 with a big win over Augsburg before taking on Juventus.

Last time out in Europe

Juve won their Champions League opener 3-1 against PSV Eindhoven, while Leipzig fell 2-1 to Atletico Madrid.

Uncharted territory

These two sides have never faced each other before, with both taking a step into the unknown at the Red Bull Arena.

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of RB Leipzig's second UEFA Champions League game of the 2024/25 league phase at home to Juventus of Italy on Wednesday.