Ole Werner expects a "top performance" against Gladbach | OneFootball

Borussia Mönchengladbach have never managed to leave Leipzig with three points, and RB Leipzig will be looking to ensure it stays that way on Bundesliga matchday 29. The Red Bulls are itching to make it three wins in a row this weekend.

Ahead of the clash at the Red Bull Arena, one player stands starkly in the spotlight: Rocco Reitz, set to become a Red Bull this summer. At the press conference before the game, RBL head coach Ole Werner discussed the Germany U21 international and shared his thoughts on the upcoming opponent.

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Full focus on ourselves

If Leipzig win at home and Frankfurt fall away at Wolfsburg (kick-off at 15:30 CEST on Saturday), RBL would secure sixth place at least with five games left to play.

"The quicker we secure European football in general, the quicker we can move on to trying to book our spot in the Champions League for next year," said Ole Werner, emphasising that the focus is still very much on qualifying for Europe's most prestigious competition. Third spot is the goal.

"We have no control over what happens in Frankfurt, and so we don't need to pay attention. We want to stay right where we are." Well said, Ole!

"We’ve got a tough challenge ahead"

Our head coach also emphasised that the focus lies completely on picking up three points. "We'll need to produce a top performance. On Saturday, we have to play better than we did in Bremen. We've made that clear this week, as I strongly believe the quality we have can deliver more, especially going forwards."

Gladbach boss Eugen Polanski and his side currently occupy 13th place in the Bundesliga table. The reverse fixture at Borussia-Park ended 0-0. The Foals might not be totally satisfied with how things are going at the moment, but they are unbeaten in their last three league fixtures.

"This is a team who maybe do have a bit of reflecting to do, but also have the potential to take three points off anybody," said Ole. Our coach is expecting a "strong side and one that's comfortable in possession." Summed up briefly: "We’ve got a tough challenge ahead."

Rocco Reitz wants to keep Gladbach in the division

After the 2-2 draw against last-place Heidenheim, Rocco Reitz and Borussia Mönchengladbach haven't quite been able to pull fully clear of the drop zone. With just a five-point gap between them and St. Pauli in 16th, the club won't be feeling totally relaxed at this stage of the season.

As we head towards the end of the season, Rocco Reitz is stepping up as captain for his childhood club. "He'll definitely give everything for his team on Saturday, exactly as you'd expect from someone like him. He's brimming with passion and ready to get stuck in - just as he will be for us from the summer onwards," said Ole Werner on the box-to-box midfielder.

"I might speak to him after the game, but there won't be any friendliness during the game - we're still rivals, even if he's joining us in the summer. He's a fantastic player and a really great guy from what I've seen. I'm looking forward to it," said Nicolas Seiwald ahead of the meeting with a future teammate.

Ole Werner traut Rocco Reitz die A-Nationalelf zu

Dass wir uns ab Sommer mit Rocco auf einen "sehr, sehr interessanten Spieler" (Ole) freuen dürfen, ist wie auch sonst einem ausführlichen Scouting-Prozess und intensiven Gesprächen zwischen der sportlichen Leitung und dem Spieler zu verdanken.

"Wir haben uns lange mit ihm beschäftigt, kennen ihn natürlich sehr gut als deutschen Spieler, der schon lange in der Bundesliga unterwegs ist und in den Jugend-Nationalmannschaften Eindruck hinterlassen hat", erklärt Ole. Reitz kommt in der U21 auf 17 Einsätze mit zwei Toren und acht Vorlagen.

Unter anderem durch die Trennung zwischen Xaver Schlager und RBL im kommenden Sommer sei ein Ersatz wie Rocco Reitz, "der eine gewisse Erfahrung und trotzdem nicht jenseits der 30 ist", umso wertvoller. "Er ist ein Spieler, der Verantwortung übernimmt, der die Liga kennt und sich in den letzten Jahren immer weiterentwickelt hat und trotzdem noch nicht am Ende dieses Weges ist." 

Ole sieht in Rocco einen potenziellen Akteur für Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann: "Rocco ist sicherlich ein Spieler, der für die deutsche Nationalelf infrage kommt."

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