Werner set to start against Spurs after overcoming thigh issue
- Timo Werner was fit only for the bench on Saturday but should feature from the start when RB Leipzig host Tottenham.
![Werner - cropped](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 800 450"></svg>)
Julian Nagelsmann is expecting Timo Werner to be fit to start RB Leipzig's Champions League last-16 second leg against Tottenham after recovering from a thigh issue.
The muscle problem hindered Germany international Werner last week, and he started on the bench for the goalless Bundesliga draw at Wolfsburg.
However, Werner appeared as a 60th-minute substitute and is now in line to return to the Leipzig XI at home to Spurs, with the German club leading 1-0 after the first leg.
"Timo trained as normal [on Sunday]," said Nagelsmann on Monday. "If things go as normal today and tomorrow, he will start."
Meanwhile, Nagelsmann is relieved the match will go ahead in front of a full Red Bull Arena amid postponements elsewhere due to the coronavirus crisis.
Numerous sporting events across the world have been cancelled as the death toll tops 3,800.
The second leg of our Round of 16 tie. We've got a job to complete#DieRotenBullen #RBLSPURS #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/BRcAApQPwd
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) March 9, 2020
The Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors, as will Valencia's second leg against Atalanta.
Nagelsmann said: "It would have been a disadvantage for us to play with Tottenham fans in London and now we would have to go without them.
"We are happy that the crowd is there. First and foremost, it is about keeping an eye on the health factor."
He added of any the possibility of domestic fixture changes: "In the Bundesliga, it has to be fair. You have to find a uniform solution.
"One result in one stadium also influences the situation of another club in another stadium. You cannot differentiate between regions in which more or less infected people live."
Published 09 Mar 2020, 23:36 IST
