Leipzig, Champions League. It’s that time of the week.
Our European travels take us this week to Leipzig, twinned with Birmingham since 1992, eighth-largest city in Germany and ninety miles from Berlin (half an hour on the autobahn). It’s reputed to be a hip, happening centre for the cool kids and it’s home to the biggest Goth festival in the world as well as being a centre of something called dark wave.
Call me Nostradamus, but I don’t think any of that hip, happeningness will be doing as much trade in the next couple of days as the nearest Irish bar to the main square. In keeping with the time of year and in the spirit of international co-operation they’re marking our visit with a Birmingham market. They’ll be selling three pairs of socks for two quid, sparkly balloons and Kalvin Club boxers.
With the crap jokes out of the way, may as well talk about the match. Leipzig were another club entirely until Red Bull took them over and changed their name. This made them about as popular in Germany as MK Dons are here, but they had more success and have been in the Champions League a couple of times. They’ve got nobody you’ve heard of unless you’re a regular follower of German football and Ralf Rangnick was their manager until he went to be temporary head scapegoat at Manchester United.
This season Leipzig are fourth in the Bundesliga and the only reason they’re not bottom of the Champions League is that two clubs have lost all their games by more than them. Unai’s team selection will be interesting, given how we lined up last Saturday. Expect more rotation. Win this one and we’re almost in the next round but if you want an omen, in 1982 we won our first three matches, lost the fourth by the odd goal and drew the fifth 0-0. Two-nil it is then.
