Rot-Weiss Essen host RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal, Round 2, on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at the Stadion an der Hafenstrasse, Essen, Germany, with kickoff at 18:00 WAT. It is a classic cup tie: a strong home side from the 3. Liga against a Bundesliga club, and a place in the next round is at stake for both teams.
This Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction looks at recent form, the only previous meeting between the clubs, team news, predicted lineups and the pre-match odds, and it is interesting for betting because the favourites are priced very short while the home side have been hard to beat at home. Essen are 3rd in the 3. Liga and unbeaten at home all season, so Leipzig cannot expect a straightforward evening even as heavy favourites.
Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction: Match Preview / Betting Preview
Essen reached Round 2 by beating St. Pauli 2-0 in Round 1 on 23 August 2026, with goals from Janssen in the 36th minute and Telalovic in the 53rd minute. Leipzig reached Round 2 by beating Eintracht Trier 6-0 in Round 1. That contrast sets up the tie: Essen earned their place with a home win over Bundesliga opposition in the previous round, while Leipzig started their cup run with a comfortable away win.
This Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction continues below with form, key stats, odds, team news, predicted lineups and betting tips.
Team Recent Form
Rot-Weiss Essen, form W-L-W-D-D (3. Liga):
- 23 Oct 2026: Essen 1-0 Jahn Regensburg
- 17 Oct 2026: Ingolstadt 1-0 Essen
- 13 Oct 2026: Essen 2-0 Fortuna Köln
- 9 Oct 2026: Preussen Munster 3-3 Essen
- 20 Sep 2026: Essen 1-1 Hansa Rostock
Essen are 3rd in the 3. Liga and unbeaten at home all season.
RB Leipzig, form W-L-L-W-W (mixed competitions):
- 24 Oct 2026: Leipzig 4-0 Elversberg (Bundesliga)
- 21 Oct 2026: Real Madrid 4-1 Leipzig (Champions League)
- 17 Oct 2026: Bayern Munich 6-1 Leipzig (Bundesliga)
- 13 Oct 2026: Leipzig 1-0 PSV Eindhoven (Champions League)
- 10 Oct 2026: Leipzig 6-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga)
Leipzig have therefore mixed heavy wins with heavy defeats in recent weeks, which makes the away cup test at Essen an important one for them.
Key Stats
- Essen are 3rd in the 3. Liga and unbeaten at home all season.
- Per Sports Mole, Leipzig had lost all five away fixtures since that Trier win despite winning all home games this season.
- There has been only one previous competitive meeting between the clubs, which Leipzig won 1-4 at Essen in the DFB Pokal on 17 August 2024.
For this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction, our correct-score prediction is below, after the head-to-head and team news sections.
1-3: Leipzig should have enough attacking quality to win, but Essen’s unbeaten home record and their 2-0 Round 1 win over St. Pauli suggest the hosts can score, so a 1-3 away win is a sensible correct-score prediction.
Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig H2H
For this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction, there is only ONE previous competitive meeting between Rot-Weiss Essen and RB Leipzig. No other men’s meetings were verified, and this section does not add any extra meetings.
- 17 Aug 2024, DFB Pokal Round 1: Rot-Weiss Essen 1-4 RB Leipzig.
- Leipzig came from behind to win that tie.
- The Leipzig scorers were Sesko, Openda, Nusa and Xavi Simons.
- No other meetings were found.
Pre Game Odds
For this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction, pre-match 1X2 odds from APWin, as a pre-match snapshot that will move:
- Rot-Weiss Essen: 13.61
- Draw: 7.77
- RB Leipzig: 1.30
The odds underline Leipzig’s status as heavy favourites, while Essen’s long price reflects the gap between the 3. Liga and the Bundesliga. For more context on the odds source, see APWin, and for other previews on this site, see Sports Buddy.
Team News Rot-Weiss Essen
Essen are without several players for this tie:
- Semir Telalovic (shoulder)
- Jaka Cuber Potocnik (ligament)
- Marvin Obuz (ankle)
- Aiman Dardari (muscle)
- Tony Menzel (ligament tear)
- Paul Popper (ligament tear)
- Max Geschwill (knee, in rehabilitation)
No Essen suspension was found.
Predicted lineup, Rot-Weiss Essen (predicted, not confirmed): Golz; Kostka, Huning, Alonso, Celebi; Sietan, Reisig; Pesch, Abiama, Brumme; Janssen. That predicted lineup is part of this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction for the home side.
Team News RB Leipzig
Leipzig’s absentees and doubts are as follows:
- Out: Marc Guiu (hamstring)
- Out: Assan Ouedraogo (shoulder surgery)
- Doubt: Christopher Nkunku (adductor)
- Doubt: Tidiam Gomis (cramp, forced off vs Elversberg)
- Doubt: Castello Lukeba (illness – Maxime Esteve replaces him if out)
Gebel’s status for this tie is not found. No Leipzig suspension was found.
Predicted lineup, RB Leipzig (predicted, not confirmed): Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Reitz, El Aynaoui; Maksimovic, Gruda, Nusa; Romulo. Esteve is in for Lukeba if Lukeba is out. That predicted lineup shapes this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction for the away side.
Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig Betting Tips
To finish this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction, here are three betting tips:
Tip 1 – Result: RB Leipzig to win. Leipzig are heavy favourites at 1.30, and their recent 4-0 win over Elversberg and 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt show the attacking level they can reach.
Tip 2 – Over-Under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals. Leipzig’s recent results have included several high-scoring games, and Essen can contribute at home, as they did in their 2-0 Round 1 win over St. Pauli.
Tip 3 – BTTS Yes-No: Yes. Essen are unbeaten at home all season, while Leipzig’s away record since the Trier win has been poor, so both teams to score is a live option in this cup tie.
In summary, this Rot-Weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig prediction makes Leipzig the right favourites, but Essen’s home form gives this DFB Pokal tie real interest, and the value may be in the goals markets as well as the outright result.
