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RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen has looked ahead to the second leg of the Red Bulls' UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie with Manchester City. He also expressed his honest opinion about who the best player in the Bundesliga is currently.
The German club played out a 1-1 draw with the Cityzens at home in the first leg of their Champions League tie on Wednesday, February 22. Josko Gvardiol found the back of the net for the hosts, while Riyad Mahrez scored for Pep Guardiola's side.
Leipzig will now be determined to cause an upset over Manchester City when they travel to the Etihad Stadium in three weeks' time. While many consider the English giants to be the favorites in the tie, Marco Rose and Co. are optimistic about their chances.
Looking ahead to the match on March 14, Poulsen claimed that Leipzig are confident about earning the win in Manchester. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda during a virtual roundtable, the striker stated:
"Yes, we are [confident of beating Manchester City]. I think all the people who watched the game yesterday saw two different halves, one half for City and one half for us, more or less."
Poulsen also insisted that Die Roten Bullen could have taken the lead in the tie had things gone their way on Wednesday. He believes his team have shown that they are capable of getting past Manchester City. He added:
"I think we should be confident going into the game. I think we played a very good second half, we were the better team and could have probably even, at the end, with a bit of luck, won the game. So, of course, we have the confidence of being able to go there and secure a win."
The highly-rated defender Gvardiol was on the scoresheet for Leipzig on Wednesday. The Croatia international was notably the subject of a failed €90 million bid from Chelsea last summer.
Gvardiol continues to be a man in demand, with Liverpool reportedly joining the Blues in the race for his signature. Meanwhile, Poulsen believes the defender has gone on to become the best player in the Bundesliga right now. He explained:
"There are a lot of good players [in the Bundesliga]. For me, at the moment, Gvardiol [is the best player in the league]. He is the one who is performing the best every week and seems like being better than the rest in the same position.
"It's always difficult to compare defenders to goalkeepers to strikers and whatever, but Josko has performed so well this year and also in the World Cup. So, for me, he is probably the best at the moment."
Leipzig face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga this weekend
Having drawn 1-1 with Manchester City, Leipzig will quickly turn their attention towards their upcoming Bundesliga match. They are scheduled to host Eintracht Frankfurt at home on Saturday, February 25.
The two sides are notably separated by just a point in the league table after 21 matches. Rose and Co. will be determined to stay in the title race with a win against Frankfurt this weekend.
Watch the LIVE coverage of Bundesliga 2022-23 - RB Leipzig vs Eintracht Frankfurt on Sony Sports Ten 5 channels on 25th February 2023 from 8:00 pm IST
