To-dos for tonight’s match: How HSV can break down RB Leipzig | OneFootball

This Sunday evening, HSV is playing at home against RB Leipzig (7:30 PM, live on DAZN). The Red Shorts are facing an important week, as they also have the rescheduled match against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. 

The focus, however, is first on the Leipzig game. And even though the guests are arriving as favorites, there are indeed reasons to be optimistic. After all, HSV has remained unbeaten in recent weeks, secured seven points from three games, and has also made footballing progress.

Moreover, things are not going smoothly for Leipzig. The Red Bulls have only won three out of nine games in the calendar year 2026. The pressure is high, especially since they don't have the additional burden of the Champions League or another European competition. This, among other things, provides good chances for HSV.

Coup against Leipzig: What HSV needs to do

Of course, there are some obvious tasks on HSV's to-do list for this game. One only needs to look at RB's recent games to identify patterns. First of all, it's about what HSV needs to watch out for. And this is almost logical: the pace dribblers on the flanks. Players like Yan Diomande, but also Antonio Nusa, love to go into 1-on-1 situations with speed and outplay opponents. The fact that Brajan Gruda was brought in during the winter and feels very comfortable in tight half-spaces adds to the challenge. Offensively, Leipzig always creates something.

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Despite all the offensive flair that RB brings to the field, there are also things to criticize. RB is sometimes vulnerable on set pieces, especially because there is little personnel continuity in defense. Hamburg would be wise to win many corners and free kicks to exploit this weakness. Leipzig's transition behavior is also not ideally coordinated at the moment. Especially against Dortmund, they recently played very risky and somewhat naive, even with a 2-0 lead, taking too many risks in the offensive third and then not being consistent in transition. HSV will get counterattack opportunities and must maintain precision here.

Additionally, it is noticeable that Leipzig often provokes an open exchange of blows themselves. An example: against BVB, they were leading 2-1, substituted Xaver Schlager, who was injured, and brought in Nusa, an offensive player. The result: the already barely existing control was completely lost. It went back and forth instead. That was not the point. And that was a mistake that has repeatedly shown itself this season. Leipzig lacks the learning effect in such situations, and the team also lacks the basic stability to see out leads.

This means for HSV that even in the event of falling behind, everything is still possible. Much will depend on the consistency of their own offensive actions. If HSV is reasonably efficient and avoids a multitude of individual mistakes, then the chances of taking at least one point against RB are really good.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.