Less than halfway into its debut season in the top tier of German soccer, RB Leipzig has provided something that had been sorely missing — a real challenge to the suffocating dominance of Bayern Munich. On the surface, it’s the Leicester of the Bundesliga. Many fans, however, see a symbol of all that is wrong with the modern game.
The East German club is level with Bayern, the four-time defending champion, at the top of the standings. A remarkable start saw it go unbeaten in its first 13 games, 10 of them victories. After hosting Hertha Berlin on Saturday, Leipzig will face its biggest challenge of the season when it travels to Munich on Wednesday to take on Bayern, not only the most famous German club but the most polarizing.