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Leipzig Chase First Away Win At Schalke As Nusa Matches Ballon d'Or Winner
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- Leipzig Chase First Away Win At Schalke As Nusa Matches Ballon d'Or Winner
RB Leipzig travel to Schalke 04 on Saturday, looking to end their disappointing Bundesliga away record, with Antonio Nusa's outstanding form providing a major reason for optimism.
Martín Demichelis' side have scored 20 goals in their opening seven league matches, the second-highest total in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich. Yet despite their impressive attacking performances, the Red Bulls have still not collected a single point away from home.
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Following consecutive victories over Elversberg and Rot-Weiss Essen, Leipzig now has an opportunity to carry that momentum into Gelsenkirchen, where their recent record against Schalke is particularly impressive.
Nusa Keeps Pace With Ballon d'Or Winner Harry Kane
Antonio Nusa has emerged as one of Leipzig's most influential players this season.
The 21-year-old has registered three goals and five assists in seven Bundesliga appearances, giving him eight direct goal contributions.
That puts him level with newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane and just one contribution behind Bayern Munich's Michael Olise.
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Nusa's five assists are also the joint-highest total in the Bundesliga, alongside Werder Bremen's Marco Grüll.
Mikel Arteta Responds To Antonio Nusa Transfer Question At Ballon d'Or
Even more impressively, the Norwegian has already surpassed his entire league output from last season, when he managed seven goal contributions.
His recent performances demonstrate how his role in Demichelis' attack has developed beyond simply trying to beat defenders in one-on-one situations.
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Against Elversberg, Nusa provided two assists, first creating Tidiam Gomis' opening goal before setting up Rômulo. In Tuesday's DFB-Pokal victory over Essen, his delivery from the left helped Christoph Baumgartner equalise during Leipzig's remarkable ten-man comeback.
Nusa is increasingly turning his ability to create separation on the wing into decisive passes inside the penalty area, making him one of the club's most important attacking outlets.
Leipzig's Remarkable Record Against Schalke
History strongly favours Leipzig ahead of Saturday's encounter.
The Red Bulls have won their last five Bundesliga matches against Schalke by at least two goals, while their previous three visits to the Veltins-Arena produced three victories and an extraordinary combined goal difference of 14-1.
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Their most recent meeting came on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign, when Leipzig secured a 4-2 victory that confirmed Schalke's relegation.
Now back in the Bundesliga, Schalke have endured a difficult return to the top flight.
The Royal Blues have scored just four goals in seven league matches, the lowest total in the division, and have failed to find the net in any of their opening three home fixtures.
Die Roten Bullen , meanwhile, have scored 20 times, already surpassing their previous club record of 16 goals after seven Bundesliga matchdays.
However, Schalke's goalless draw against Bayern Munich shows that their defensive approach can frustrate even the strongest attacking sides.
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Demichelis Returns To Familiar Opposition
Saturday's fixture also carries personal significance for Demichelis.
During his playing career with Bayern Munich, the Argentine enjoyed several memorable victories against Schalke, including the 2005 DFB-Pokal final, when Bayern secured a 2-1 victory to complete the domestic double.
He was also part of the Bayern sides that defeated Schalke in the 2007 League Cup final and the 2010 Supercup, but Christopher Nkunku also has his own remarkable history at the Veltins-Arena.
During Leipzig's 5-0 victory in February 2020, the Frenchman provided four assists in the second half, a Bundesliga record for a single half since detailed data collection began in 2004.
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Leipzig Have A Bundesliga Record To Protect
One statistic offers Leipzig particular encouragement against the newly promoted Royal Blues.
The club are unbeaten in their last 41 Bundesliga matches against promoted teams, winning 36 and drawing five. It is the longest such unbeaten run in Bundesliga history.
The Red Bulls extended that record with Saturday's 4-0 victory over Elversberg, but their struggles away from home remain a significant concern.
Heavy defeats against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have exposed problems when Leipzig are forced to defend under sustained pressure, while their dramatic comeback against Essen required a considerable improvement after a poor first half.
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Christoph Baumgartner believes that victory demonstrated Leipzig's ability to respond in difficult away environments, but Nusa admitted afterwards that the team must learn to take control of matches earlier.
Schalke's limited attacking output offers Leipzig a promising opportunity to do exactly that.
For Demichelis, Saturday is about more than extending an impressive head-to-head record. His team have already demonstrated their attacking potential at home. Now they need to show they can deliver the same level of performance away from Leipzig.
