Now in firm control of the La Liga title race, Real Madrid can turn their attention back to the Champions League as the knockout stage gets under way with a Round of 16 first leg matchup at RB Leipzig.
Los Blancos established a commanding five-point lead atop the domestic standings with an emphatic win over second-place Girona over the weekend, but lost young talisman Jude Bellingham to an injury in the process.
Bellingham limped off around the hour mark, just minutes after scoring his second goal of the match in an eventual 4-0 victory. The 20-year-old sensation will miss a few weeks due to an ankle injury, and thus will likely be replaced by Brahim Diaz at the top of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield diamond.
RB Leizpig secured victory over Real Madrid at their home ground in the group stage of last year’s UCL competition, but are in poor form at the moment, with just one win in their last six matches which has dropped them outside the Bundesliga top four.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig and bet Champions League matches
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Real Madrid (+130)
- Score prediction: RB Leipzig 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid have been ravaged by injuries this season, and it’s a credit to Carlo Ancelotti that this side remains firmly entrenched in the mix for multiple trophies at this stage of an adversity-filled campaign. Jude Bellingham is just the latest to succumb to fitness concerns, with Real Madrid already down three centre-backs and a goalkeeper.
Despite that, no club outside of Atletico Madrid has beaten Los Blancos this season. Even when they’re not at full strength, Vinicius Jr has managed to put the team on his back time and again. There’s not enough value on an adverse result to shy away from the Spanish giants on plus odds to win.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| RB Leipzig win | +190 |
| Draw | +275 |
| Real Madrid win | +130 |
| Both teams to score Y/N |
-210 / +165 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals |
+130 / -180 |
| Real Madrid -0.5 goals |
+120 |
| RB Leipzig +0.5 goals |
-165 |
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig match facts
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
- Location: Red Bull Arena (Leipzig, Germany)
- Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH), VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
- Last meeting: RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid (Oct. 25, 2022 | Champions League)
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig: best bet
- Pick: Vincius Jr to score or assist a goal
- Odds: -110 (FanDuel)
With Jude Bellingham injured, this is Vinicius Jr’s attack now, and he couldn’t be better positioned to take the reins in full.
The Brazilian bagged five goal contributions in his three Champions League group stage games, and has six goal contributions in five La Liga matches since returning from injury in early January. Add in his Supercopa final hat-trick against Barcelona, and Vinicius is in electric form. As a cherry on top, he scored a goal and assisted another in the two meetings between these sides last year in the group stage.
He will surely receive plenty of defensive attention as RB Leipzig would much prefer to let the likes of Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo beat them, but Vinicius is no stranger to such things, and his own individual take-on skills are well suited to the task.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig prop bet
- Pick: RB Leipzig 1H double chance & Real Madrid to win the game
- Odds: +360 (DraftKings)
RB Leipzig haven’t had issues scoring early goals over their recent poor run of form, but they have fallen off a cliff after the hour mark. Since the start of December, just three of RB Leipzig’s league 17 goals after the 60th minute, while nine of the 16 goals conceded have come after the halftime break.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are second-half specialists. They sit fifth in La Liga in expected goals across the opening 45 minutes, but find a cutting edge when under the gun, second in La Liga with 19 points from losing positions this season. That’s come thanks to their 34 second-half goals which consists of 65 percent of their haul. Los Blancos have the most goals of any La Liga side from the 46th to 75th minute, shoring up matches before the pressure truly builds.
With Real Madrid struggling for fitness, they could be held or even trail before the break, but it’s so far been impossible for anyone other than Atleti to keep this Los Blancos side down across 90 minutes. Such was the case the last time Madrid traveled to Germany, visiting Union Berlin to close out the group stage in November, when they reached the break at 0-0 before Los Blancos secured a late 3-2 win.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig live stream, TV channel
In the United States, exclusive English-language broadcast rights of the UEFA Champions League this season are owned by CBS, who stream every match on Paramount+.
There is also a Spanish-language broadcast on TUDN and UniMas, with both channels available to stream on Fubo.
In Canada, the Champions League broadcast rights are held by DAZN, which streams every match of the competition. UK rights to this match are held by TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) who will air this match on TNT Sports 2, with streaming on discovery+.
