RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid preview, team news, match tickets and prediction

The 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League edition is the final season with the current format of thirty-two teams participating at the group stage after UEFA had announced that a new expanded format would be incorporated from the succeeding season.

Marco Rose rejoined the Red Bull group in September 2022 after spells at Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund. The German manager has infused his high-octane style of football strengthened by the additions of youngsters Ikoma Lois Openda from RC Lens in the off-season, Castello Lukeba from Olympique Lyonnais, Benjamin Sesko returning from his season-long-loan from RB Salzburg and the loans of Fabio Carvalho and highly rated Dutch Starlet Xavi Simons from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

Their 23/24 group stage campaign saw them settle for only a second-place spot finishing six points behind defending champions Manchester City. Rose’s side reinvigorated by the top forms of Openda and Simons put 13 goals past their opponents conceding 10 (6 of which came in both ties against Manchester City) racking 12 points to themselves. Their 2 losses against Manchester City were the only times they dropped points in the group stage winning the rest of their four games.

RB Leipzig's best UCL campaign came in the 2019/2020 season having secured a 4-0 aggregate victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the first knockout rounds and a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid before getting stopped in their tracks by Paris Saint-Germain via a 3-0 victory in the semi-finals.

Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid remain arguably the most experienced in the competition with a tournament-high of 14 triumphs to show for it. Indeed, they will look to go all the way in this edition having established a 100% win record over their group stage exploits (the 3rd time for the side also achieving this feat in 2011/2012 under Jose Mourinho and in 2014/2015 just after La Decima under Carlo Ancelotti). A group spanning Italian league defending champions SSC Napoli, German outfit Union Berlin, and Portuguese club Braga saw Los Blancos score 16 goals and concede just seven across their six wins.

Madrid booked their knockout place after the fourth game but their campaign had enticing twists to it as they needed late winners to get past Union Berlin in Spain and to seal a comeback in the German capital in the 98th minute. A dramatic 3-2 match against Napoli in the first leg as Kepa Arrizabalaga kept them in the game and two late goals in the return leg to put the Serie A champions in their place.

They worked hard to beat Braga by a lone goal and their most comfortable game across the campaign came in the return leg in Spain. Crucial to their form is the extended good run of form of English midfielder Jude Bellingham finding the back of the net 4 times in addition to his solid performances in the advanced midfield role he's been played by Don Carlo Ancelotti.

RB Leipzig was just recently formed in 2009, meaning meetings between these sides have not been usual. Their first encounter came in the 2022-2023 season with Los Blancos securing a 2-0 victory courtesy of Fede Valverde and Marco Asensio in the first leg. The German side came out victors in the second leg with goals from Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku, and Timo Werner enough to get past the consolation goals from Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius for Madrid.

Match Tickets

The Champions League RB Leipzig v Real Madrid match will be played at Red Bull Arena (Zentralstadion) in Leipzig Germany on Tue,13 Feb 2024, 21:00:00 GMT with the return leg scheduled for the 81,044 capacity Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Spain on Wednesday, the 6th of March, 2024.

Leipzig vs Real Madrid tickets are available on the official ticketing portal on the UEFA website.

Team News

Line up

Marco Rose’s side is to be rejuvenated by the addition of Macedonian international Elif Elmas who has agreed to a deal in principle to join the club side with the pending departure of Emil Forsberg to sister outfit New York Red Bulls. Dani Olmo and Willi Orban are the only long-term absentees and will return to first-team training after the winter break.

RB Leipzig XI - Blaswich; Raum, Lukeba, Klostermann, Henrichs; Kampl, Haidara; Simons, Carvalho; Sesko, Openda.

Real Madrid have had a season filled with injuries. Thibaut Courtois was recently ruled out of the 2024 Euros with his anterior cruciate ligament injury in training. First-choice center-back pairing Eder Militao and David Alaba have also been hit with long-term injuries. Pending any transfer business, Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to join the defensive contingent as per Carlo Ancelotti. Vinicius Junior, Ferland Mendy, and Eduardo Camavinga are all expected to return to full-fledged training.

Regardless, the core of serial winners in Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernandez, and Dani Carvajal should be able to help the side navigate the seemingly challenging knockout stages.

Real Madrid XI - Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius.

Prediction

Leipzig should be expected to pose a realistic threat to an injury-threatened Real Madrid side. But given the two-legged nature of the ties and Real Madrid’s pedigree in this competition, it should be expected Los Blancos go through at the end of the encounters.

RB Leipzig 1-2 Real Madrid