Champions League: Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig Round of 16 leg 2 betting preview

The Champions League Round of 16 continues this week. On Wednesday, Real Madrid will be looking to book their spot in the quarterfinals as they take a 1-0 lead into their second leg against German outfit RB Leipzig. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM ET at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos just played to a 2-2 draw with Valencia over the weekend but remain in good form for this massive European clash. As for Leipzig, they grabbed a 4-1 victory against Bochum in the Bundesliga a couple of days ago. Continue reading for the match preview.

Real Madrid

No club in the world has won more UCL titles than Madrid, lifting the grand prize 14 times. And this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s have every opportunity to win a 15th. Los Blancos breezed through the knockout stages with a perfect 6-0-0 record, scoring 16 times and conceding just seven goals. Although it was only a 1-0 win in Leipzig in the opening leg of the last 16, the visitors found their moment of brilliance.

Brahim Diaz scored a beautiful goal in the 48th minute to give his side the advantage heading into the second leg on Wednesday, with Real in prime position to advance to the final eight at the very least for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. Domestically, Madrid is seven points clear at the top of La Liga with an impressive 20-6-1 record.

Saturday proved to be a difficult task for Los Blancos, who were down 2-0 within 30 minutes to rivals Valencia. But, Brazilian Vinicius Junior came to the rescue, scoring just before halftime and also equalizing in the 76th minute. Jude Bellingham looked to score a winner at the death, but it was called off by the referee who ultimately gave the Englishman a red card for arguing. Real are sitting at -175 odds to win against Leipzig at 888sport.

RB Leipzig

Leipzig is currently fifth in the Bundesliga and just a mere one point off a Champions League spot for next season with a handful of games to go. The Round of 16 was the same stage the German side exited in 2022-23 when eventual winners Manchester City hammered them 8-1 on aggregate. This time around, Marco Rose’s group is very much still in the tie heading to the Spanish capital.

The hosts had a plethora of opportunities in the first leg on home soil, registering nine shots on target. But, they simply couldn’t find a breakthrough. It was a disappointing night. When it comes to recent form, Leipzig is 2-1-2 in their last five outings across all competitions. The win over Bochum should be a confidence booster though, scoring four times.

The hosts took an early lead but after that, it was all Leipzig, with Dani Olmo, Yussuf Poulsen, and Lois Openda hitting the back of the net. Since they do trail 1-0, Leipzig will definitely need to produce the goods on Wednesday while trying to keep the likes of Vinicius and Rodrygo at bay in the final third. The Bundesliga club is an underdog at all soccer betting sites.

Injuries

Ancelotti’s only injury concerns are long-term absentees David Alaba, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao. For Leipzig, they will be without Lukas Klostermann and Mohamed Simakan. Overall, both sides are relatively healthy for what should be a tantalizing encounter to watch.