Christopher Nkunku will miss RB Leipzig's DFB-Pokal second-round match at Rot-Weiss Essen on Tuesday at 18.00 Uhr, leaving Martin Demichelis without one of his sharpest attacking options for a knockout tie that demands control from the first whistle. The forward is out because of adductor problems, even though Demichelis said on Monday that the issue is not serious.
The timing matters because Leipzig are heading into a cup match that will be decided on the night, and they are doing it without a player who had already sat out the 4:0 win against SV Elversberg. Demichelis made clear that he still expects a difficult evening, calling Rot-Weiss Essen a third-division side that will throw everything into the game and stressing that Leipzig should face a good team and an intense atmosphere.
For Leipzig, the absence is not just about one match. Nkunku is expected to be back in the squad for the away Bundesliga match at Schalke 04, which means this is a short-term setback rather than a long spell on the sidelines. That is also why the coach's words matter: he can describe the injury as not serious, but he still will not send Nkunku to Essen.
The gap between those two facts is the real story. If the adductor problem is manageable, the club is protecting the player rather than gambling on him in a cup game that could turn physical fast. Demichelis also knows Leipzig have had away struggles this season, so taking a cautious line now may be the simplest way to keep a key attacker available for the next league test.
That leaves Tuesday's trip with a clear shape. Leipzig go in as favorites, but without Nkunku they lose a direct route to goal and a layer of security in a match where the crowd and the opponent are expected to push hard. The cup can punish hesitation, and this one begins with Leipzig already making one of the tougher calls: leaving their forward at home and trusting the rest to handle Essen.
