RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg not bothered by title implications with beating Bayern Munich

RB Leipzig is currently in third place in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund with just three matches left to play. They cannot mathematically leapfrog either Bayern or Dortmund, but if they don’t get the right results, they could slip out of the top four, and thus, a Champions League qualifying spot. Both Union Berlin and SC Freiburg are only one point behind Leipzig in 5th and 6th place, respectively, and Leipzig still has to travel to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern in one of their remaining matches.

So far this season, from the two meetings between Bayern and RB Leipzig thus far, Bayern won the DFL-Supercup 5-3, while the Hinrunde meeting in the Bundesliga between the two sides finished 1-1, though it technically came after the World Cup and winter break. Both sides have had their fare share of tumultuous spells this season, with Leipzig having to replace their manager for the second time in as many seasons when Marco Rose came in for Demeico Tedesco, who had replaced Jesse Marsch last season. For Bayern, they made the decision to replace Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel for what they said were purely sporting reasons, feeling that Nagelsmann wasn’t quite meeting their expectations.

To come full circle, the clash between Bayern and Leipzig on the penultimate match day of the Bundesliga season bears so much significance for both sides. For Bayern, their 11th straight Meisterschale hangs in the balance and for Leipzig, Champions League qualification hangs in the balance just weeks before the DFB-Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt in Berlin.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg was asked about the prospect of beating Bayern and being able to potentially aide in someone else winning the Bundesliga title for the first time in 11 seasons; it would be Dortmund if Bayern do drop points. For now, the Swede said he’s only focused on keeping Leipzig in a Champions League spot and ensuring they end the season there. “I want to beat Bayern so we qualify for the Champions League. Dortmund have to do the rest themselves. If it happens, then BVB would have deserved it,” he diplomatically said (via @iMiaSanMia).

Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

For Dortmund, their remaining matches are against Borussia Monchengladbach, FC Augsburg, and Mainz while Bayern has Schalke, Leipzig, and FC Koln left. On paper, both of those fixtures’ lists are just about equal, but both Dortmund and Bayern have shown that they can slip up and drop points where they really shouldn’t be. Anything could happen with three match weeks left to play.