RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose announced on Thursday that French international striker Christopher Nkunku may make his first start in several months during their match against title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Friday. Rose stated, “At some point, the day will come when we want Christopher’s quality from the start. He’s had a normal week of training and is an option (against Dortmund).” Nkunku, 25, missed the World Cup finals after injuring his leg during France’s preparation camp in November, which sidelined him for nearly three months. He recently came off the bench to provide an assist in Leipzig’s 3-0 victory over Wolfsburg in mid-February. The former Paris Saint-Germain forward has since made two appearances from the bench, including during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League Last 16 match.
During his pre-match press conference, Rose addressed his past with Dortmund, who sacked him in May 2022 after just one season, despite achieving a second-place finish. He remarked, “It is what it is. I don’t have the feeling that I was negatively impacted. Things worked out in such a way that I’m now the coach in Leipzig.” Rose, who hails from Leipzig, took over the team following the dismissal of Domenico Tedesco in early September and has since led the club to accumulate 37 points in 17 games, the best record in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund enters the match tied on points at the top of the Bundesliga table with Bayern Munich, following an impressive nine-match winning streak. Leipzig, meanwhile, sits four points behind in fourth place. Rose acknowledged the challenge posed by Dortmund, stating, “Dortmund’s winning streak and the confidence that it gives them makes them very tough opponents. They’ve put a great run together and have a lot of individual quality. We will need to work hard to deal with the power and the force that Dortmund have going forward.”
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