Match Preview: Leipzig vs Saints

THE MATCH

RB Leipzig vs Saints
Pre-season friendly
Lavanttal-Arena
Saturday 16th July, 1pm BST
Streamed LIVE on southamptonfc.com and Facebook

SETTING THE SCENE

After returning to pre-season training at Staplewood at the end of June, Ralph Hasenhüttl and his side arrived in Austria for a change of scenery on Wednesday.

As preparations start to ramp up, the squad will be gearing up for the natural next step; a first taste of competitive action during the 2022/23 season.

The same can be said for Saturday’s hosts, who also returned for the new campaign at the back end of June.

Domenico Tedesco’s side finished fourth in the German top division last season, looking to close the gap this coming season on the Leverkusen, Dortmund and champions Bayern.

The side, much like Saints, have already boosted their squad ahead of the new season, acquiring midfielder Xaver Schlager from Wolfsburg for 12 million euros and experienced Janis Blaswich on a free from Dutch side Heracles Almelo.

LAST MEETING

Saturday’s meeting with RB Leipzig will prove very familiar to most Saints fans, with the two sides having met each other in Austria back in July 2015.

It proved to be a goal-laden first pre-season friendly for Ronald Koeman’s side, who were eventually on the wrong end of a 5-4 thriller in Bischofshofen, 147 miles north of Lavanttal-Arena.

Jay Rodriguez celebrated his return from a year-long knee injury with two, with debutants Juanmi and Cédric also netted for Saints.

LIVE STREAM

The game will be broadcast live to fans in the UK and Ireland only via the club’s official Facebook page, southamptonfc.com and the club app.

Please note, due to rights around the game, we cannot broadcast the match outside of the UK and Ireland.

KEEP UP TO DATE

We’ll be covering Saturday’s fixture, as ever, across all socials.

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