Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig
Real Madrid and RB Leipzig meet for the first time when the Champions League comes to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
It’s a clash between European royalty and one of the upstarts of the big leagues. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have won Europe’s flagship tournament a record 14 times, and the way the Champions League 2022 results went in their first week they are quite obviously after their 15th!
Real Madrid brushed Celtic aside 3-0, meanwhile Leipzig were humbled at home to Shakhtar Donetsk. Los Blancos are determined to retain the title they won in 2022, but it will be a tough task as the early Champions League 2022 betting odds reckon Los Blancos will do well to make the last four. But they weren’t the favourites last season and look what happened there…
Over in Leipzig, Marco Rose has just taken charge of die Roten Bullen and he has his work cut out, though his side did pick up an impressive win over Borussia Dortmund at the weekend. But while Real Madrid are at odds of 11.00 to retain their trophy, RB Leipzig are out at a huge 201.00 and that is the measure of the gap between the two.
Talking Points
Benzema out for Los Blancos
One note of encouragement for the Germans is that Madrid’s top goal scorer Karim Benzema picked up a knock in the win over Celtic and he is unlikely to make the game. But Ancelotti can rest assured that his other strikers can fill the void as both Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were on target in a recent 2-1 victory over Real Betis.
But the Los Blancos boss has another injury worry with centre-back Eder Militao also picking up a knock against Celtic and he too is doubtful. But the form of new recruit Antonio Rudiger means the boss can also be confident in his back line, particularly as the concern over the fitness of keeper Thibaut Courtois has been soothed following the announcement that the Belgian stopper has recovered from his knee niggle. The boss said: “He’s trained normally. He’s fine. He’s been in a bit of discomfort for a few days but he’ll play tomorrow.”
Ancelotti’s side has shaped up superbly in the opening weeks of the new season with four wins from four and, while Casemiro has left the club to go to Manchester United, new recruit Aurelien Tchouameni has fit in to the midfield seamlessly alongside the brilliant Luka Modric.
Rose’s Bulls are ready to fight
After the humiliation of losing 4-1 at home to Shakhtar, die Roten Bullen pulled out a stunning result in the league by whacking title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund 3-0.
New boss Rose saw his new side attack from the back as defender Willi Orban opened the scoring before midfielder Dominic Szoboszlai made it two and Amadou Haidara rounded off a great day for the Leipzig fans. The win lifted them to tenth but there is still a long way to go.
In the Champions League, Leipzig are at odds of 10.00 to win Group F but they are ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic in the rankings, so they should still progress to the knockout stage after a difficult start. But there’s an element of pride in this, particularly for the Leipzig fans who hope their team can break into the European elite before too long.
In the meantime, with the quality of Christopher Nkunku in the side and striker Timo Werner returned to the fold, they will surely continue their climb up the Bundesliga table.
History
With no head to heads to inform us, we’ll look to recent form, and that tells us Real Madrid are relentless while the Red Bulls are hit and miss. While Los Blancos have won the last six, the Germans have won three and lost three.
Leipzig haven’t won in six games on the road and I strongly suspect they’re not about to start on Wednesday!
Betting Tip
Real Madrid are at SBOTOP odds of 1.41 to win this game while the draw is at 4.84 and Leipzig are 5.60. Home advantage, momentum in the league and quality dripping through the squad, from Courtois at the back to Vinicius up front make Los Blancos an irresistible proposition.
But there is a slight unknown. Marc Rose has just taken charge of the Red Bulls and the new manager bounce was certainly in evidence in their win over BVB. So I’m sitting on the fence and going for a game with two or three goals. I do think Madrid will score two, though…
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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