The Champions League returns from the winter break this week with four matches, including Real Madrid’s clash with RB Leipzig. Can the Red Bulls ruin Real’s perfect European record?
Bookmaker Pinnacle offers odds at 3.93 for both teams to score in the first half at RB Arena.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 12th, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
This season marks the third time Real has gone through the Champions League group stage without dropping a single point. Los Blancos left it late a couple of times against another German side, Union Berlin, but overall, Carlos Ancelotti’s side breezed through the group stage with six wins and has continued to go from strength to strength in 2024.
Much like he’s done throughout the league campaign, Jude Bellingham has been leading the charge for Real in Europe with four goals and three assists registered across five appearances. However, Ancelotti might have to do without him on Tuesday after Bellingham sprained his left ankle in Saturday’s win over Girona.
Bellingham’s absence would leave Real without La Liga’s most prolific player. He’s notched 20 goals across all competitions in 2023-24 to lead all players in the Spanish top flight. The English star has also just set a new record for most goals scored by a midfielder in a single La Liga season in the 21st century, hitting the 16-goal mark versus Girona.
If he can’t play, Bellingham would join a lengthy list of key absentees, as Antonio Rüdiger, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Thibaut Courtois remain out on Tuesday.
Leipzig has done well to avoid injuries during a very busy stage of the season, but midfielder Amadou Haidara is a major doubt for Tuesday’s action due to a knee problem.
While Real has remained in top form throughout the winter, Leipzig has struggled to perform consistently since sealing a place among the top 16 teams in Europe. Marco Rose has steered his side to only one victory in the past six Bundesliga matches.
With the immensely talented Xavi Simons pulling the strings, Leipzig continues to score goals for fun, but the team’s defensive play has been a major letdown lately, with 10 goals conceded over the last four league games. Can the attacking quality make up for it in Tuesday’s big match? Simons was one of four Leipzig players involved in at least three goals during the group stage. Rose’s team has averaged 2.17 goals per game across all competitions in 2023-24.
