The hosts’ home streak meets the favorite’s away crisis: Rot-Weiss Essen vs. RB Leipzig prediction
RW Essen
The second-round German Cup clash between Rot-Weiss Essen and RB Leipzig will take place on October 27, 2026, at Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The hosts represent the 3. Liga and head into the match in excellent form, while Leipzig remain clear favorites on paper but have lost each of their last five away games. Against the backdrop of such contrasting runs, this cup tie looks far more intriguing than might have been expected.
Rot-Weiss Essen: excellent run and confident home performances
Uwe Koschinat’s side sit third in the 3. Liga and are seriously challenging for promotion. In their latest match, Essen defeated Jahn Regensburg 1-0, and overall they have suffered just one defeat in their last 14 games in all competitions, winning 10 of those matches. In the first round of the German Cup, the hosts had already produced a surprise by knocking out St. Pauli 2-0.
Their home form is particularly impressive. Rot-Weiss Essen are still unbeaten on home turf this season, winning seven matches and drawing one. However, their attacking options have been hit hard by absences: Semir Telalovic, Jaka Čuber Potočnik, Marvin Obuz and Ayman Dardari are unavailable, so Marek Janssen is likely to lead the line.
RB Leipzig: powerful squad, but major problems away from home
Martin Demichelis’ team did not play in midweek and comfortably thrashed Elversberg 4-0 at the weekend. Romulo scored twice after coming on as a substitute, while Tidiam Gomis and Christoph Baumgartner added a goal apiece. Leipzig have been flawless at home — five wins from five this season, 18 goals scored and none conceded.
But the picture is completely different away from home. After their 6-0 demolition of Eintracht Trier in the first round of the German Cup, Leipzig have lost each of their next five away matches. The visitors went down 0-2 to Bayer Leverkusen, 1-6 to Bayern Munich and 1-4 to Real Madrid, so even against a third-tier side, their current away form raises questions.
Match facts
- Rot-Weiss Essen have lost just one of their last 14 matches in all competitions.
- The hosts are unbeaten at home this season — seven wins and one draw.
- RB Leipzig have suffered five consecutive away defeats since the first round of the German Cup.
The class gap should tell: Rot-Weiss Essen vs. RB Leipzig prediction
Essen head into the clash in excellent shape and have already shown in this competition that they can eliminate higher-ranked opponents. The hosts’ home streak and Leipzig’s struggles on the road give us reason to expect them to score at least once.
At the same time, the visitors’ overall squad quality is significantly higher. If Leipzig avoid the familiar mistakes that have plagued them away from home and can make their advantage in pace and individual quality count, they should progress despite the hosts’ resistance.
