Unstoppable at home, struggling away - RB Leipzig searching for consistency
When Rômulo rounded goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes and casually stroked home RB Leipzig’s fifth goal against Hamburg on Saturday afternoon, players and fans alike were exuberant in their celebrations.
Antonio Nusa had just registered a goal and two assists in a scintillating individual display, while Christopher Nkunku’s famous red balloon had made its first appearance since the Frenchman’s return to the club over the summer.
Leipzig had been here before, though. On Matchday 1, Martín Demichelis’ troops had dispatched Borussia Mönchengladbach in similarly comfortable fashion - only to slip to a surprisingly limp 3-1 defeat at Werder Bremen seven days later.
Watch: Leipzig 5-0 Hamburg - highlights
Demichelis’ side followed that up with a 4-1 defeat at Como in the UEFA Champions League, with games against Dutch champions PSV, Real Madrid and Manchester City to come in their next three league-phase fixtures.
Leipzig’s response against Hamburg was as emphatic as it was swift, but can they build on that success when they travel to a Bayer Leverkusen side who are expected to be one of Die Roten Bullen’s fiercest rivals for a top-four spot this season?
Recent history suggests they might be in for tough afternoon. While Saturday’s victory extended their run of home wins in Germany’s top flight to a club record-equalling seven matches, Leipzig have lost three on the bounce on their travels since a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in April earlier this year.
Watch: Bremen 3-1 Leipzig - highlights
They have shipped 11 goals in those three games, having lost 4-1 to both Freiburg and Saturday’s opponents Leverkusen at the tail end of 2025/26.
The 2026/27 season may still be in its infancy, but the numbers from Leipzig’s three league matches so far already paint a telling picture.
Of the nine teams to have played twice at home, Leipzig have recorded the most attempts at goal (42), the most big chances (nine) and the highest xG (7.7) in front of their own fans.
Only table-topping Freiburg have scored more than their eight goals, while only Borussia Dortmund have kept back-to-back home clean sheets.
Dortmund, Hoffenheim and Cologne are the only sides to have won more duels at home than Leipzig (204), who have also racked up more sprints (392) than any other side on home soil.
All of which makes the manner of their Matchday 2 defeat at Bremen more startling. Of the nine sides who have only played once away from home so far, only Cologne have won fewer duels than Die Roten Bullen (66) on their travels.
Demichelis’ side mustered 18 shots at the Weserstadion on Matchday 2 but created only one big chance - which was converted by Ridle Baku in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.
While it is still too early in the season to draw too many conclusions from that reverse, Demichelis is under no illusions that his side must do better at the BayArena.
“We’ve scored eight goals at home and conceded seven away - that’s something we need to address,” said the Argentine after Saturday’s triumph over Hamburg.
Leipzig captain David Raum echoed Demichelis’ sentiments. “We’re always brave [at home],” the full-back told reporters. “We need to make sure we start playing the same way on our travels.”
Ominously, Leverkusen put four past Union Berlin in their only Bundesliga home match so far this term. They have also beaten Leipzig in three of their last four visits to the BayArena, scoring nine times in those three victories alone.
Leipzig fans can take heart from their last win in Leverkusen in August 2024, when the visitors recovered from two goals down to beat the reigning champions 3-2. Die Roten Bullen are going to need similar levels of grit, resilience and - most importantly - quality in the final third to cure their away-day blues on Matchday 4.
