Entering UCL semis one of biggest achievements of RB Leipzig, says Yussuf Poulsen
Jan 14, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 14 : RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, who has been at the club since they were in the German third-tier, believes that one of the team's biggest achievements in recent years is entering into the semifinals of UEFA Champions League.
RB Leipzig became the first team from the area of former East Germany to qualify for a European tournament after they captured a place in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League by finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga. Then in August 2020, the club made history by participating in their first Champions League semi-finals, losing against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
"I think one of our biggest achievements is going into the semifinals, being one of the last-four (teams) in Europe. That's a big, big achievement for the club. Eight years ago we were playing in the third division and to go into the top-four of all European teams is big," Poulsen said during an online media interaction on Wednesday.
The Denmark international has been putting his body on the line for Leipzig since July 2013, when he joined the club from Lyngby as a 19-year-old. He got 10 league goals in his first season to earn the first of two promotions, and he has since finished as a Bundesliga runner-up on two occasions.
Talking about his calf injury which he suffered early this season, Poulsen said: "It was difficult to come back. I had a bit of longer holidays than the other guys. I was a little bit behind the other guys in terms of fitness. After the winter holiday, I played my first match after my calf injury. I think it was good. I was only able to play only 45 minutes as fixed after talks with the physios and doctors. It went quite well and we also won the game. So it was good. It was hard but I am on the right track."
With over 300 appearances to his name, Poulsen has played more games than any other player in Leipzig's history. Talking about the COVID-19 situation, the 27-year-old said: "The problem of course is the limitation of the squad. It's affecting every team all over the world. But the time we are living in you need to manage having less personnel. We have tests every day, we are more protected than average people. We've to manage."
Christopher Nkunku is set to return to the RB Leipzig starting line-up for the trip to relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
