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Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig tips
- Real Madrid to win & both teams to score – 15/8 with bet365
- Vinicius Jr to score at any time – 11/8 with Betfred
- Benjamin Sesko over 0.5 shots on target - 4/5 with 10Bet
Real Madrid hold a 1-0 lead going into Wednesday's second leg of their last 16 tie against RB Leipzig and shouldn't lack for motivation to get the job done at the Bernabeu (8pm, TNT Sports 2).
Los Blancos were left fuming at the weekend following a 2-2 against Valencia with Jude Bellingham sent off following the full time whistle.
Bellingham thought he’d headed home the winning goal in added on time, only for referee Gil Manzano to rule it out having blown for full time as the cross came in, sparking a post-game fracas in which Bellingham was shown a red card.
The England international will miss Real's next two LaLiga matches but is available for Wednesday’s clash with Leipzig, who may be fearing the worst from a Real side chasing an eighth successive win in the Champions League this season.
But the Germans held their own in the first leg of the round of 16 tie, which was settled 1-0 in Real’s favour by a wonderful individual goal by Brahim Diaz.
Football betting sites make Los Blancos heavy favourites to build on their one-goal lead and qualify for the quarter-finals, but Leipzig have shown enough to suggest this will be a highly competitive second leg.
Champions League tip: No easy road to quarters for Real
Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia was Real’s third stalemate in their last five LaLiga matches and while they still retain a commanding six-point lead at the top of the table, recent results do constitute a mini wobble in an otherwise flawless campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have had a few injury issues to contend with recently, Bellingham having missed three weeks with an ankle injury, while Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba are still out of action.
It’s left Real a little short defensively and Leipzig can count themselves unlucky not to have scored in the first leg, having a goal controversially ruled out in the first half following a VAR check.
Both sides had 15 attempts each in that first meeting, with the Germans hitting the target nine times on a busy night for Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Failing to score at home has left Leipzig with a mountain to climb if they are to reach the quarter-finals and they are as big as 11/1 in the Champions League odds to qualify for the next round.
They’ll need to be positive at the Bernabeu and they have the firepower to hurt an undermanned Madrid defence. Lois Openda scored his 21st goal of the season in Leipzig’s 4-1 win over Bochum at the weekend and they also pose a threat from set pieces.
Marco Rose’s men have scored in nine straight away games in all competitions and may ruffle a few feathers by netting on Wednesday.
But it’s tough to see Leipzig doing enough defensively to win the second leg having conceded two or more goals in seven of the last 10 away matches, while memories of their 7-0 thrashing by Manchester City at this same stage of last season's Champions League may still haunt some of the squad.
Real Madrid
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Borussia Dortmund
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Real may be short defensively, but they have plenty of attacking talent in the likes of Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Jr, with Diaz primed to come off the bench.
Ancelotti has masterminded 30 wins from 38 matches in all competitions this season and while performance levels have dipped slightly, Saturday’s game at Valencia may have lit a fire under Real heading into the second leg.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig tip 1: Real Madrid to win & both teams to score – 15/8 with bet365
Vinicius can finish off Leipzig
Betting sites can’t separate Bellingham and Vinicius Jr at the top of the anytime goalscorer market with both men a best price of 11/8 to score on Wednesday evening.
Bellingham has scored 20 times already this season in an incredible debut campaign for Real, with four of his goals coming in the Champions League.
But the goals have been more sporadic since mid-December with the 20-year-old netting four times across his last 11 appearances in all competitions.
Bellingham has been deployed a little deeper by Ancelotti in that time and therefore may not represent the best value to score at the current prices on gambling sites.
Vinicius could be the better option given the odds having been in good goalscoring form recently, taking his tally for the season to 14 with a brace at the weekend.
The Brazilian relished the Champions League last season, scoring seven times in 11 games and has netted two in four matches in an injury-hit campaign this time around.
Vinicius has been rattling in the shots at an impressive rate recently, recording three or more attempts on goal in 10 of his 12 appearances since the start of 2024, and poses a big threat to Leipzig.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig tip 2: Vinicius Jr to score at any time – 11/8 with Betfred
Sesko size a problem for hosts
Openda has been hogging the limelight for Leipzig this season, but it was his partner Benjamin Sesko that nearly got them off to the perfect start in the first leg.
Sesko scored after two minutes against Real, only for his goal to be chalked off, despite replays showing him to be onside.
That set the tone for a difficult night for Real’s defence against Sesko, who had six attempts on goal, four of them on target.
The 6ft 4in 20-year-old has been a huge threat to the majority of teams he’s faced recently, scoring four times in his last six games.
Although Real now have Antonio Rudiger back fit to counter Sesko’s aerial threat, he still appeals at 4/5 with betting apps to have a shot on target at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig tip 3: Benjamin Sesko over 0.5 shots on target - 4/5 with 10Bet
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig predictions
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
