RB Leipzig will kick off their quest for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they host Borussia Monchengladbach at Red Bull Arena. Last season, Leipzig secured a third-place finish, marking their return to elite European competition, while Gladbach faced a tough year, ending up in 12th place, perilously close to relegation. Since their promotion to the Bundesliga in the 2016-17 season, Leipzig has consistently been seen as a strong contender against Bayern Munich. However, they finished seventh in the 2024-25 season but rebounded last year by qualifying for the Champions League again. The hosts showed significant improvement across various statistics, scoring 66 goals—13 more than the previous season—while conceding one less (47) and gaining 14 additional points in the 2025-26 campaign. It remains uncertain if new manager Martin Demichelis can elevate the squad's competitiveness against Bayern, especially after losing key player Yan Diomande to Real Madrid, which has weakened the team. Leipzig has already participated in one domestic match this season, achieving a dominant 6-0 victory over Eintracht Trier on August 22 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. In their last Bundesliga season, Leipzig won six out of their final eight matches, suffering only two losses, and they concluded their home games at Red Bull Arena with five straight wins, scoring 13 goals and keeping two clean sheets. For Gladbach, the primary objective this season is to steer clear of the relegation battle, as their 38-point total in 2025-26 left them just nine points above the relegation zone. Their points tally was actually seven less than the previous season, and they also scored 13 fewer goals, netting only 42 times.