Leipzig Look to Repair Away Form in Second Half

photo from Thomas Eisenhut/Getty Images

The second half of the Bundesliga season began in style for RB Leipzig and new head coach Domenico Tedesco with a resounding win over Mainz 4-1. Still, the team finds themselves in ninth place, five points off of fourth place Freiburg for the last spot in the UEFA Champions League. Now, as they prepare for a trip to Stuttgart on Saturday, Tedesco and company how to correct what was an atrocious away form in the first half of the season.

"That's in the players' minds," said Tedesco about the team's lack of victories away from Red Bull Arena. "It's a little crazy that we haven't won an away game in the league since April. At some point the spell will break, so why not now against Stuttgart?"

Stuttgart is in 15th place and just four points from the relegation zone. They have just one win in their last five games and were dominated by Leipzig the last time they played. The only difference is that they will not be playing at Red Bull Arena and will need to mimmic that form in order to keep pace with the teams that hope to play in Europe.

At the moment, the team appears to be rounding into form. Andre Silva has reconnected with his goal-scoring past and Christopher Nkunku continues to impress as one of the brightest stars in the Bundesliga. Combined with a renewed game plan, Leipzig appear to be ready for the challenge.

"What gives me optimism is the week of training we've just had," said Tedesco. "I really like the way we've been working."

Rumors also continue to swirl around the state of the club during the January transfer window. At the moment the team isn't being linked to many players but there are more than a few that may make an exit. Amadou Haidara has become a target for several Premier League teams and Dani Olmo and Nkunku are being looked at as future stars across the continent. Tedesco gave little in the way of his feelings on the transfer policy of the team.

"I'm not going to comment on any transfer rumors, nor do they interest me. We have good discussions with the club leadership and there are no plans for any incoming or outgoing."

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