Introduction
Real Madrid will host Bundesliga side RB Leipzig next Wednesday at their Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stronghold in the return leg of this UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Madrid took a giant step towards advancing into the quarter-finals as Brahim Diaz’s well-taken goal handed them a 1-0 win in Germany. That win made it seven wins in seven Champions League games this season, and Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be keen to keep their perfect record intact on Wednesday.
About the game
Leipzig will feel that they were unlucky to have come away from the first leg with a loss, with Ukrainian goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin, in inspired form for Real Madrid on the day. However, that match featured a makeshift Madrid defence that had Aurelien Tchouameni playing as a Centre back.
Injuries to Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Dani Carvajal have forced Ancelotti to try different combinations at the back of recent. Despite those disruptions, they have only conceded twice in their last five games in all competitions.
We expect Ancelotti to line up with a more conventional back four on Wednesday, with Antonio Rudiger having played all 90 minutes of his comeback in Sunday’s win at Sevilla. That win in Seville was Madrid’s 30th competitive win of the season.
Those thirty wins have come from just thirty-seven games, meaning that Ancelotti’s team have only failed to win seven matches the season. Their record is even better in the Champions League, where they have won each of the seven games they have played.
The signs are ominous for Marco Rose’s Leipzig team as they come into this match after some worrying results. They responded well to the first-leg loss against Madrid with a 2-0 home win against Monchengladbach, but that was then followed by a 2-1 loss at Bayern Munich. The loss at Bayern makes it the fifth loss Leipzig have suffered in their last eight games.
Of even more concern is the fact that they let in fourteen goals in those eight games. They will be chasing the tie on Wednesday, having lost the first leg, and at some point, they will have to leave spaces in behind. This will further expose their defensive weaknesses, and with sixteen goal Jude Bellingham set to return in this match, Real Madrid will definitely exploit those weaknesses.
The Best Betting Odds for Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig
| Markets | Odds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid win |
1.58 
|
1.60 
|
1.58 
|
1.575 
|
1.634 
|
|
| Draw |
4.60
|
4.50
|
4.50
|
4.46
|
4.625
|
|
| RB Leipzig win |
5.30
|
5.00
|
5.20
|
5.15
|
5.34
|
|
| Over 2.5 |
1.46
|
1.55
|
1.50
|
1.49
|
1.49
|
|
| Over 2.5 |
1.46
|
1.55
|
1.50
|
1.49
|
1.49
|
|
| Over 2.5 |
1.46
|
1.55
|
1.50
|
1.49
|
1.49
|
|
Conclusion
The tie is set for Real Madrid to go on and win it. They hold a first-leg advantage, which means that their opponents will have no choice than to go all out at some point in the game. Real Madrid are a very experienced Champions League team, and they will be patient enough to pick their moments to exploit any space left behind to deal Leipzig a deadly blow.
Samuel Okunsolawo is an iGaming expert with over six years of experience in content writing. His passion for simplifying complex concepts makes his articles accessible and useful for beginners and experts alike. With a focus on sports betting trends and reliable betting sites, Samuel’s articles are an excellent resource for those seeking guidance and staying up to date in the world of iGaming.