Could the return of David Raum jumpstart RB Leipzig's Bundesliga campaign?

Without David Raum, Leipzig have struggled in the Bundesliga. The left-back is set to return against Bayern Munich on Friday. Just in time to jumpstart Leipzig's title challenge?

“My aim is to be back in the squad for the last game of the year against Munich,” RB Leipzig star David Raum said to Gegenpressing. That was in late October on the eve of RB Leipzig’s Champions League match against Liverpool. The left-back had suffered a complicated ankle injury that required surgery earlier that month in a Bundesliga match against Heidenheim (1-0).

True to his word, Raum has not only stayed within his set time frame but actually exceeded it. The 26-year-old left-back made the matchday squad against Eintracht Frankfurt last Sunday, and while he didn’t come on, his presence was good news for the Red Bulls.

How important has Raum been for RB Leipzig this season? With the left-back in the starting XI, Leipzig have averaged 2.33 points per game; without him, that number has dropped to just 1.65 points per game.

A glimpse at last season’s statistics underlines Raum’s importance for the club. Among all Bundesliga defenders, only Alejandro Grimaldo (15) had more assists than Raum. Furthermore, the Leipzig star ranked tenth overall with ten assists last season.