The Bundesliga returns from the winter break with a Friday night clash between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich. The champions are aiming to take one step closer to retaining their title and although Leipzig have the quality to make things difficult, Bayern are still expected to maintain their dominance in this fixture.
RB Leipzig had gone eight Bundesliga matches without defeat prior to the World Cup break, claiming six wins in that run and had risen to third on the standings.
It is a massive turnaround for Leipzig, who had looked out of sorts during the early stage of the season. They have beaten Bayer Leverkusen and second placed Freiburg in that run and claimed a 2-1 victory at Werder Bremen in their previous Bundesliga fixture.
The victory over Freiburg highlights Leipzig’s impressive record at home as they are unbeaten in front of their fans this season. However, they are likely to miss top scorer Christopher Nkunku, who remains sidelined till February.
Although they are currently top of the Bundesliga, it has not been a typically dominant campaign for Bayern Munich. They have dropped some unexpected points this season and are only four points clear of closest chasers Freiburg.
The good news for Bayern Munich is that they found some consistency as the World Cup approached and are now on a six-match winning run in the Bundesliga. There have been some truly one-sided results in that run, including a 6-2 victory over Mainz and a 6-1 win over Werder Bremen.
Bayern Munich picked up a 2-0 win at Schalke in their last Bundesliga fixture before the international break.
How the bookies view it
Bayern Munich are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 11/13 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for RB Leipzig is valued at 3/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 33/10 by SBK.
Head to head
Bayern Munich have only lost once to RB Leipzig, claiming 10 wins and four draws from 15 previous fixtures. The champions have won the last three meetings at the Red Bull Arena, including a 5-3 victory in the German Super Cup in July.
Players to watch
With top scorer Christopher Nkunku still out with injury, RB Leipzig will turn to Timo Werner, who has made a timely return from his own spell on the sidelines. The forward has nine goals in 16 appearances across all competitions and is priced at 9/4 by Unibet to find the bet in Friday.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has surprisingly been the standout player for Bayern Munich this season with six goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances. The Cameroon striker was also on target in last season’s fixture at the Red Bull Arena and could be backed to find the net on Friday at 13/8 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
It is always a thriller when RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich meet with four of the last five fixtures producing over 4.5 goals. A similar outcome is priced at 13/5 with BetVictor while over 3.5 goals is valued at 11/10 with Unibet.
Bayern Munich have scored in both halves in the last three meetings with RB Leipzig and Friday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 5/4 with Unibet.
This German Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich will be played on Jan 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
