Martín Demichelis has framed RB Leipzig's trip to Real Madrid as a night to embrace rather than fear. On Matchday 3 of their UEFA Champions League campaign, Leipzig head to the Bernabéu with Demichelis pointing to a reunion with Yan Diomande and insisting the mood should be upbeat.

“We’ve got nothing to lose […] and a lot to gain. We’ll try to enjoy [it],” Demichelis said. That followed his praise for the way Leipzig handled the reverse fixture, when he said, “They made life difficult for us. When you can’t play the way you want to, you need passion. The lads fought right until the end. That’s why I’m proud of the team.”

Demichelis' pitch for the night

The coach is making a point of turning reputation into a minor issue. He also has a clean record against Madrid, with one previous meeting and a 2-1 win in April. That gives his message a bit more credibility, even if the Champions League table is tighter than he would like, with Leipzig 21st on three points from two matches and Madrid 8th on six.

Diomande's return and Leipzig's wider form

Diomande's return gives the game a sharper edge. He scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances for Leipzig before his summer move to Madrid, and he has started four of Madrid's previous five matches in all competitions, with one goal and two assists in that spell.

Leipzig's domestic form also explains why Demichelis is leaning on mentality. They have taken nine points from their opening six Bundesliga games, with 16 goals scored and 11 conceded. Antonio Nusa and Christopher Nkunku have also helped carry the attack, with Nusa posting a 7.46 Bundesliga rating, three goals and two assists, while Nkunku has a 7.35 rating and four goals in six appearances. That leaves Leipzig with enough attacking threat to go to Madrid without making the night all about Diomande alone.

The Bernabéu is still a hard place to treat lightly, but Demichelis is right to frame this one as an opportunity. Leipzig go into Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig with the reunion story intact, a manager who has beaten Madrid once already, and a group that has enough recent output to test itself again on Tuesday.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →