RB LEIPZIG and Real Madrid lock horns in a key clash at the top of Champions League Group F at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday night.
The Bundesliga side started their campaign with a shock 4-1 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, a setback that proved to be fatal for Domenico Tedesco who has since been replaced by Marco Rose.
After losing 2-0 away to holders Real Madrid on Matchday two, Rose has since steered his side to back-to-back wins over Celtic, the first of which helped me deliver a clean sweep of winners in Saxony.
While Saturday's 3-3 draw at Augsburg laid-out the vulnerabilities that have plagued Leipzig's Bundesliga season so far, the Red Bulls could take a huge step towards the Champions League round of 16 with a victory over Real Madrid this midweek.
Carlo Ancelotti's European kings are top of Group F with 10 points to show from their opening four matches and avoiding defeat here would see them qualify for the knockout round of the competition with a game to spare.
Los Blancos are in a rich vein of form domestically at the moment, brushing aside fierce rivals Barcelona 3-1 just over one week ago before seeing off Sevilla by the same scoreline on Saturday to maintain their three point lead at the top of La Liga.
Outright Betting
RB Leipzig, who have won each of their five home matches under Marco Rose, enter this contest as 2/1 outsiders with Bet 365.
Real Madrid were held to a surprise 1-1 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday Four and the same outcome here can be backed at 13/5 (SBK) while a Real victory pays 6/4 (SBK) with the same firm.
Betting Angles
Real Madrid will attract plenty of attention from punters at the aforementioned price but I'm going to opt for an alternative angle via the Bet Builder market by merging Both Teams to Score and Each Team to Receive Card at 4/5 (Bet 365).
While Carlo Ancelotti has an awesome array of attacking talent at his disposal, the reigning kings of Europe have found clean sheets hard to come by this season, having posted just two shutouts in 11 La Liga outings to date.
What's more, Real Madrid's rearguard was breached in both of their recent meetings with Shakhtar Donetsk, so RB Leipzig will fancy their chances of scoring for a sixth successive home game under new honcho Rose.
However, the Red Bulls' backline is not exactly renowned for being watertight, with Both Teams to Score backers being rewarded in each of the hosts' last three Bundesliga matches.
As such, I'm happy to go for goals at both ends at the Red Bull Arena, and to conclude the selection, I'll also back Italian referee Daniel Orsato to award each team a card.
The above-mentioned Bet Builder would have paid out in Leipzig's two Group F homes games so far, as well as Real's aforementioned draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, so with all things considered, supporting the same formula in Saxony stands out at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Given that Vinícius Júnior has been in supreme form this season, I'll also back the Real Madrid winger To Score Or Assist at 5/4 with PaddyPower.
The brilliant Brazilian has either notched or provided a goal in 12 of his 15 appearances for Los Blancos this term, so the 5/4 (PaddyPower) on him to add to that tally on Tuesday night looks a lovely price.
This UEFA Champions League match between RB Leipzig and Real Madrid will be played on Oct 25, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.