Real Madrid Vs RB Leipzig Prediction And Betting Tips

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig Preview

Real Madrid host RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their round of 16 clash in the Champions League on Wednesday. Los Blancos hold a slender 1-0 advantage from the first tie last month in Leipzig and will be aiming to capitalize on it to reach the quarter-finals.

Contrary to the scoreline, though, the Red Bulls were the more menacing side in the clash, mustering nine shots on target to Real Madrid’s three, but lacked the cutting edge to bury their chances. Andriy Lunin also had a stormer in goal for the visitors, who rose on Brahim Diaz’s 48th-minute goal to win.

Also Read: Carlo Ancelotti Confirms Jude Bellingham’s Return from Injury

Since the match, Madrid have played twice, against Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla. The first one ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw, but managed to overcome the Andalusians in a late 1-0 victory. With 65 points from 26 games, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently at the top of the league table, six ahead of Girona.

Meanwhile, Leipzig beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 in their next game, followed by a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich. Currently, the DFL-Supercup holders are playing away to Bochum in the Bundesliga.

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig Team News and Predicted XI

Real Madrid

David Alaba and Eder Militao are both out with injuries and will thereby miss the clash. Thibaut Courtois has returned to training but may not start, although he could be included in the matchday squad. Jude Bellingham is confirmed to have returned from injury by Ancelotti, but he’d be cautious against throwing the star at the deep end, especially when his side have the advantage in the tie. If Bellingham doesn’t feature in the XI, the burden of scoring goals will fall on Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

Predicted XI: Andriy Lunin; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, Ferland Mendy; Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga; Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo

RB Leipzig

The Red Bulls are without defender Lukas Klostermann, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury. Yussuf Poulsen was on the bench for their Bundesliga clash with Bochum on Saturday, and could feature here as the visitors are looking for more attacking firepower. Speaking of attack, talismanic striker Dani Olmo will lead the line once more. His season has been beset with injuries, but has slowly worked his way back to his best. He was on target against Bochum today, bagging his eighth goal in 16 appearances this season.

Predicted XI: Janis Blaswich; Benjamin Henrichs, Mohamed Simakan, Willi Orban, David Raum; Kevin Kampl, Xaver Schlager, Xavi Simons, Benjamin Sesko; Luis Openda, Dani Olmo

RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo (by Getty Images)

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig Head-To-Head

The sides have met only thrice in history, with Real Madrid beating RB Leipzig in two of those games and losing once.

RB Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid (February 2024, UEFA Champions League)
RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid (October 2022, UEFA Champions League)
Real Madrid 2-0 RB Leipzig (September 2022, UEFA Champions League)

Their first encounter took place in the group stages of the 2022-23 campaign, where Los Blancos secured a 2-0 home win in September 2022 before the Red Bulls exacted revenge with a 3-2 win, a month later. Last month, when the sides met again in Europe for the first leg of their last-16 encounter, Los Blancos came away with a narrow 1-0 victory.