They haven't been in sparkling form - but RB Leipzig have enough quality for Celtic to know they are in for a tough trip to Germany.
The Hoops bounced back from a 2-0 loss against St Mirren with a 2-1 success against Motherwell on Saturday, setting them up for a crucial Champions League Group F battle against the Bundesliga side. Ange Postecoglou's team head abroad with one point while Leipzig are yet to get off the mark after games against Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk.
A victory on the road would set Celtic up nicely for at least maintaining European football until after Christmas and setting them up for a realistic crack at a lucrative last 16 shot. It's been a turbulent period for their midweek hosts but their 4-0 victory at the weekend over Bochum proved their strength.
Here is everything you need to know about RB Leipzig ahead of the Premiership champions' latest assignment.
Form guide
Saturday's convincing win against the Bundesliga basement boys was a much-needed result for Die Rotten Bullen. They had lost four of their five games prior to that, including a bruising 4-1 home loss against Shakhtar in their first Group F match. Leipzig have three wins from eight league games and have lost three goals or more on four occasions across all competitions.
Key players
Timo Werner has hit 100 goals for the Saxony club but it hasn't been plain-sailing for the forward since leaving Germany for Chelsea two years ago. His Bochum brace were his first goals since August and it's a much-needed boost at a pivotal moment for his side. Christopher Nkunku has six goals in eight league games but a pre-match blow has landed, with the French attacker reportedly agreeing a move to Chelsea in 2023.
Josko Gvardiol meanwhile is one of Europe's brightest young defenders and will prove stern for the Celtic forward line to get past, but he too is a reported target for the Stamford Bridge club.
The manager
Marco Rose was only appointed as Leipzig boss last month as he came in for Domenico Tedesco after a stuttering start to the season. He's well known to the Red Bull system, having been at RB Salzburg for six years as a youth coach and formerly first-team boss before joining Borussia Monchengladbach in 2019.
Since then he's also managed Borussia Dortmund, and was in charge when Rangers eliminated them from last season's Europa League. He will look to guide Leipzig back into contention for positioning amongst Europe's elite.
Head-to-head record
There's been two previous meetings between these pair. It was during the 2018/19 Europa League group stages, Leipzig winning 2-0 at home before the Hoops prevailed 2-1 at Parkhead. It was Brendan Rodgers' side who prevailed winners overall as they finished second behind Salzburg in Group B to advance to the knockout rounds, while their German foes were eliminated.
The last five
RB Leipzig 1-4 Shakhtar Donetsk
RB Leipzig 3-0 Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid 2-0 RB Leipzig
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig 4-0 Bochum
European history
Having finished as runners-up in their debut season in the German top flight back in the 2016/17 term, RB Leipzig gained entry to continental football for the first time in the 17/18 Champions League groups. They reached the semi-finals of this competition in 2019/20 and failed to reach last season's Europa League equivalent after losing to Rangers.
