Preview: RB Leipzig vs Hamburger SV - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate to get off the mark in the Bundesliga, bottom-of-the-table Hamburger SV will travel to face Champions League hopefuls RB Leipzig at Red Bull Arena on Sunday.

Die Roten Bullen are looking to bounce back after consecutive defeats, while HSV will be fighting to avoid yet another loss of their own.

Match preview

Martin Demichelis's Leipzig tenure has taken a turn for the worse this month, but the manager will be optimistic about his team's chances of finding their footing.

The former Bayern Munich and Manchester City defender made a strong start in the Red Bull Arena dugout, thoroughly beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 in his Bundesliga opener on August 29.

That victory followed on from a 6-0 demolition of Trier in the DFB-Pokal a week earlier, and had fans excited for the season ahead.

However, Leipzig stumbled and fell to a shock 3-1 defeat against 2025-26 relegation candidates Werder Bremen on September 5, a clash that saw them go three-goals down and only score a consolation effort via Ridle Baku in the 95th minute.

Die Roten Bullen would have been hoping to prove it was a one-off result, but a 4-1 thrashing by Como in the club's first Champions League fixture has changed the complexion of Demichelis's reign so far.

That being said, Sunday's hosts will be confident that the home crowd can push them to success this weekend, considering that Leipzig have won each of their last six Bundesliga outings at Red Bull Arena, and are unbeaten at the ground since January.

Meanwhile, Merlin Polzin's Hamburger survived in commendable fashion last term, but unless they can pick up points soon, their fate may not be so fortunate this time around.

HSV triumphed 3-0 over Verl in the first round of the DFB-Pokal - their season's competitive curtain raiser - and were prepared for a tough campaign ahead.

Polzin's side knew they were underdogs up against Borussia Dortmund on the Bundsliga's first matchday, and their 2-0 defeat came as little surprise.

However, a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Mainz 05 last time out was more concerning, especially considering Hamburger are yet to score in the German top flight.

Losing their first two games of the season has left HSV at the foot of the table, level with fellow slow-starters Gladbach and Hoffenheim.

Sunday's visitors will be keen to prevent the gap to safety from expanding this weekend, but given they are facing one of the division's Champions League contenders, fans will be fearing the worst.

RB Leipzig Bundesliga form:

RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

Hamburger SV Bundesliga form:

Hamburger SV form (all competitions):

- W
- L
- L

Team News

Leipzig will be lighter in midfield than ideal on Sunday, with both Christoph Baumgartner and Rocco Reitz sidelined due to respective hamstring and thigh injuries.

In their absence, expect to see Ezechiel Banzuzi join Neil El Aynaoui and Nicolas Seiwald in the centre of the park.

As for Hamburger, they are missing centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw due to a muscle injury, though Jordan Torunarigha, Shafiq Bello Nandja and the versatile Nicolas Capaldo should be on hand to form Polzin's three-man defence.

Elsewhere, midfielder Kofi Jeremy Amoako is dealing with illness, so Nicolai Remberg and Albert Sambi Lokonga will continue in the engine room, flanked by wing-backs Zakaria El Ouahdi and David Moller Wolfe.

In the forward line, Albert Gronbaek and Fabio Vieira look set to support striker Patson Daka up top, while 19-year-old winger Alexander Rossing-Lelesiit recovers from a long-term ankle issue.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:

Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Siewald, El Aynaoui, Banzuzi; Maksimovic, Nkunku, Nusa

Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:

Heuer; Bello, Capaldo, Torunarigha; El Ouahdi, Lokonga, Remberg, Moller Wolfe; Vieira, Gronbaek; Daka