REAL MADRID are playing with the swagger of European champions and it doesn't bode well for RB Leipzig as they head to the Bernabeu on Matchday Two of the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti's men have kicked off the new campaign with seven successive victories, the latest coming as they crushed Real Mallorca 4-1 at home on Sunday.
Real Madrid survived Celtic's first-half storm last week in their Champions League opener before turning on the style after the break to claim a 3-0 victory, with Vinicius Junior bringing up my goalscorer bet.
They look a well oiled-machine, with last season's treble-winning side bolstered by the arrivals of Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea and Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
So it's hard to see RB Leipzig getting anything at the Bernabeu, especially after they binned boss Domenico Tedesco in the wake of a humbling 4-1 home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in their Euro opener.
Our man Mark cashed in by backing Shakhtar in the handicaps that night and the heavy defeat saw Leipzig's board replace Tedesco with former Dortmund manager Marco Rose.
The new gaffer got off to a flying start at the weekend, masterminding a 3-0 victory over old club Borussia, but facing Real Madrid at the Bernabeu is a step up in class.
How the bookies view it
RB Leipzig have been written off and are as big as 24/5 with SBK for a Bernabeu win. Real Madrid's best price is just 4/7 at Bet365 while the stalemate pays 39/10 with VBet.
Head to head
These sides have never faced off competitively but RB Leipzig have a great record against Spanish sides, winning two of their three games and drawing the other. Real Madrid have won 34 of their 70 games against German opposition, losing 23 times.
Players to watch
Karim Benzema is set to miss out for Real Madrid after picking up an injury last week at Celtic Park. Rodrygo was a more than able deputy at the weekend, scoring a screamer against Mallorca, so looks a good shout for a goal here at 2/1 with Ladbrokes.
Christopher Nkunku's pace and power could cause problems for Ancelotti's defence and the Frenchman is 3/1 with Paddy Power for a strike at the Bernabeu.
Anything else catch the eye?
RB Leipzig claimed a clean sheet at the weekend but they have been leaking goals this season, with 18 conceded so far. Real Madrid have also had just two shut-outs all season so it bodes well for an entertaining game.
BTTS and over 2.5 goals don't offer much value at 5/8 and 1/2 respectively but I like the 20/21 on offer at McBookie for most goals to come after the break as Leipzig might defend deep.
Willi Orban faces a tough shift at the back for RB Leipzig and I like the 7/5 on offer at Unibet for the stopper to concede over 0.5 fouls.
This UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig will be played on Sep 14, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
