Leipzig (dpa) – Sporting director Markus Krösche sees the historic opportunity for RB Leipzig to even win the Champions League due to the special conditions as an underdog.
“Every team has the opportunity to win the title this year, including the elimination of the first leg and the second leg. So do we,” the 39-year-old said in an interview with “Sport1”. “And it’s up to us to continue to write our history in Lisbon.”
Even without top scorer Timo Werner, who moved to Chelsea, the Leipzigers are ready for the final round in Portugal, which will be played without spectators. “Timo was an important player for RB. But we are convinced that we can advance to the semi-finals without him,” said Krösche, referring to “an incredible number of players” such as Patrik Schick, Dani Olmo, Yussuf Poulsen, Christopher Nkunku and Marcel Sabitzer, “who can also score goals”.
RB will meet Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals on August 13 (9 p.m. / Sky). Of course, there are “bigger names among the remaining teams,” noted the RB sporting director. But Atlético will not make the mistake of not taking us seriously or underestimating us. “My instinct is that Diego Simeone didn’t burst into tears of joy when he was drawn to us,” Krösche said. Simeone has been Atlético’s coach since 2011 and has already led the club to the European premier class final twice (2014 and 2016) and to winning the Europa League twice (2012 and 2018).
