In a fixture that stimulates the senses and a game that will be played out with raw passion by the finest young protagonists on the Bundesliga stage, RB Leipzig will battle Borussia Dortmund to keep their title fight alive with only 3 points behind leaders Bayern, exclusively on StarTimes World Football channel 245 or 254, 6.30pm on Saturday 4th February.
While second placed Leipzig are determined to maintain their top-flight challenge for the title, fourth-placed Dortmund aims to kick-start a spell of consistency with what would be a morale-boosting win.
As kick-off draws ever closer, the world awaits in anticipation of what promises to be one of the highlights of the 2016/17 season.
Bundesliga fans in Nigeria like others are immersed in online activity, mulling over the possible outcome of a potentially season-defining game for both sides.
However, Leipzig is set to be without top-scorer Timo Werner for Saturday’s clash at Borussia Dortmund after the striker was struck down with flu, according to reports.
Werner has bagged 11 goals this season and RB need their star forward at Dortmund, who are fourth, as they look to bridge the three-point gap behind leaders Bayern Munich.
But according to several reports, Werner will miss the game at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park after contracting an aggressive bout of influenza, which has also confined coach Ralph Hasenhuettl to bed.
The club confirmed both Werner and Hasenhuettl missed training yesterday.
“Timo has had a great run. It would be a huge pity if he can’t help us in Dortmund,” Leipzig defender Willi Orban told German daily newspaper, Bild.
Werner is believed to have H3N2 or ‘Hong Kong flu’, a highly infectious strain, and has been told to stay away from Leipzig’s training ground to minimise the risk of infection.
He is thought to have contracted the disease from Leipzig’s Scotland international Oliver Burke, who was ill for last Saturday’s 2-1 come-back win at home to Hoffenheim in which Werner also netted.
Hasenhuettl is expected to be on the Leipzig bench in Dortmund, but magazine Kicker says Leipzig’s medical staff are ‘very sceptical’ Werner will be fit enough to travel to Dortmund.
Leipzig boasts of a largely young squad, including talents such as Werner, Keita, Burke, Marcel Sabitzer and Yussuf Poulsen.
Dortmund star-strike Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has bagged Bundesliga-leading 16 goals to date and was clocked covering 30 metres in record 3.7 seconds will be an interesting gladiator to watch.
Aubameyang’s appearance opposite a speed-demon Werner is one of many fascinating facets fans are looking forward to in Saturday’s match at the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK until the flu case came up.
Dortmund can also respond with others like Julian Weigl, Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic, Emre Mor and Alexander Isak.
Though current champions Bayern have won the last four league titles, Dortmund have won two of the last six championships, dethroning the Bravarians in 2011 and 2012.
Interestingly, Leipzig have been Bayern’s nearest challengers so far this season with their haul of 42 points, the most of any promoted team ever after 18 games played.
StarTimes Head of Public Relations, Israel Bolaji, noted that StarTimes lines up exciting mix of live football games every weekend for maximum viewing pleasure of sports actions craving subscribers, armed with exclusive broadcast rights to Bundesliga, Serie ‘A’, Ligue 1, Chinese league and select EPL games.
