Tedesco fumes as Leipzig wobble before Rangers showdown

Berlin, May 3, 2022 (AFP) - Domenico Tedesco has warned his RB Leipzig side they can expect "no gifts" at Rangers in Thursday's Europa League semi-final, second leg as they seek to finish their season in two cup finals.

Tedesco was fuming on Monday after Leipzig crashed to a 3-1 defeat in the Bundesliga clash with 10-man Borussia Moenchengladbach -- their second successive league defeat.

"You might as well take the tactics board and throw it in the bin," said Tedesco.

Tedesco expects a tough game for his side, who were only founded in 2009 and are bidding to reach their first European final.

They take a 1-0 lead from the first leg into the match but at an Ibrox Stadium which will be packed to the rafters with passionate home fans.

"This is a semi-final, there are no gifts," said Tedesco.

"We won the first game, which was very tough, but this will be a different game now."

Should Leipzig reach the Europa League final -- which takes place on May 18 in Seville -- they will also be in with a chance of silverware three days later against Freiburg in the German Cup final.

However, Tedesco is concerned by the drop-off in their form in the Bundesliga.

The successive defeats saw them drop to fifth, a point from the top four which carries qualification for the Champions League.

Leipzig need to win their last two games against Augsburg and Bielefeld, who are both battling relegation, to keep alive hopes of playing in the Champions League for a fourth straight season.

"We have to do our homework and win the last two games. That won't be easy because our opponents still have something at stake," said Tedesco.