RBL host Ingolstadt in second pre-season friendly | OneFootball

After opening pre-season with a win over VSG Altglienicke, the Red Bulls will face a tougher test this weekend.

RBL host FC Ingolstadt 04 on Saturday, 25th July at 11:30 CEST at Cottaweg. This time, the game will be played over two 60-minute periods, giving head coach Martín Demichelis more scope to manage workloads and give valuable minutes to as many players as possible.

The third-tier side are already much further into their pre-season preparations. For Sabrina Wittmann’s side, it is the penultimate friendly before their league campaign begins on 8th August. The Bavarians have won every pre-season game so far, most recently beating Italian Serie B side Palermo FC 1-0. A stern test awaits our boys.

RBL's pre-season plans

Fifth meeting with Ingolstadt

RBL and FCI last met twice in the Bundesliga in 2016/17, with Leipzig losing 1-0 and drawing 0-0. The 1-0 defeat was RBL’s first loss after a run of 13 unbeaten games, with Leipzig top of the table at the time. Before that, Ingolstadt had also come out on top in both meetings in the 2. Bundesliga in 2014/15, winning 1-0 and 2-1. The latter result saw them clinch promotion on home soil against us.

The Bavarian side have now spent four consecutive seasons in the 3. Liga and finished 12th last term. 

Perhaps the most recognisable name in the Ingolstadt squad is Keanan Bennetts, who was on the books at Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2018 to 2022. Midfielder Vinko Šapina and forward Lars Lokotsch are also notable additions, having joined from Dynamo Dresden and Preußen Münster respectively.

Sabrina Wittmann is in charge on the touchline. Like Martín Demichelis, the 35-year-old holds a UEFA Pro Licence. She is regarded as driven, meticulous and empathetic, and is always keen to test herself against the best. In May 2024, she became the first woman to take charge of a men’s professional team in Germany.

“We still have five weeks left to work”

The Red Bulls will be looking to carry the “incredible energy” from the Altglienicke game into Saturday and continue adapting to Demichelis’ ideas. At this early stage of pre-season, different systems and tactical approaches are also being tried out.

After the win in Markranstädt, our head coach stressed: “We always play to win. But the result today wasn’t important to me. What mattered was that every player got their minutes and everyone came through healthy.”

A similar approach can be expected against Ingolstadt. “We still have five weeks left to work,” says Martín Demichelis, reiterating a message from his unveiling: “We’re going to be a very aggressive team. Ultimately, we need to be a really difficult side to play against. Every opponent should be thinking: ‘Oh, Leipzig are up next – this is going to be tough!’”

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