Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig Preview

Real Madrid will welcome RB Leipzig to the Santiago Bernabeu this Wednesday for the second leg of their Champions League (UCL) round of 16 tie.

The hosts come into this game with a slender advantage after securing a 1-0 win at the Red Bull Arena in the first leg courtesy of a brilliant Brahim Diaz goal in the second half. But since that first-leg win, Los Blancos seem to have lost some mojo as they have struggled in the league where they have won just once in three league games (D2).

The most recent was a chaotic 2-2 draw with Valencia which saw them go two goals down before battling to snatch a point, albeit without controversy right at the death. Carlo Ancelotti’s side must now move on as they look to build on their first-leg advantage here.

Moreover, Los Blancos will be buoyed by the fact that they haven’t lost a Champions League fixture here since Chelsea beat them in April 2022 (W9, D1). Also, having won all their UCL games this campaign, they should be confident of maintaining that 100% winning run.

Their record against German clubs also makes for good reading as they’ve lost none of their last eight home clashes (W6, D2), culminating in three consecutive wins ‘to nil’, including 2-0 here against Leipzig last term.

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig travel to the capital of Spain on the back of a brilliant 4-1 win over Bochum in the Bundesliga. That win kept them in a good position to finish inside the Bundesliga top four so they have the right foundation to attack this tie as they attempt to overturn a one-goal deficit.

But while they’re still in this tie, bad memories of last season’s round of 16 may linger as after holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at home, they were thrashed 7-0 in the return leg away from home. Yet, the Red Bulls have shown they are a threat on the road after scoring at least twice in all three Champions League away games this term (W2, L1).

However, doing so again in Madrid is a tall order given their patchy form over their last five away games (W1, D2, L2). For Leipzig, at least they have a good record against other Spanish clubs on foreign soil, beating Real Sociedad 3-1 in the 2021/22 Europa League and Atlético Madrid 2-1 in the 2019/20 Champions League.