Ancelotti ahead of his anniversary win

Only last week, the first matchday in the Champions League was on the agenda. The tight schedule before the World Cup makes it possible that the next matches in the top division are already scheduled this week. The red bulls from Saxony have one of the toughest tasks ahead of them, as RB Leipzig take on defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday.

There can be no doubt that the royals will ultimately secure one of the top two places in this Group F, and will probably even enter the last 16 as group winners. For Leipzig, a point at the Bernabeu would be a bonus, although Marco Rose’s team, through no fault of its own, is already in a tight spot and would be better off taking three points from the Spanish capital.

After matchday one, the Madrilenians, after a 3-0 win away at Celtic Glasgow, and Shakhtyor Donetsk, after a 4-1 win at Leipzig, are top of the standings. Another defeat would significantly increase the pressure on the German Cup winners.

Real Madrid is an absolute constant in the European Cup. Over many years, the royals have had to deal with German clubs time and again. RasenBallsport is already the 14th Bundesliga club to cross blades with the Madrilenians. Recently, the German club’s results in direct duels against the record champion of the top flight have been rather poor, so that the first impulse in this clash between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig must now be to bet on a home win.

Real Madrid – Statistics & current form

Sir Alex Ferguson is currently the record holder when it comes to Champions League victories as a coach. The Scot has 102 victories in the top flight, but Carlo Ancelotti is hot on his heels. Should the Madrilenians win against the Bulls on Wednesday, the Italian would already be in triple figures and celebrate his 100th success. It should then be enough for the absolute record this season.

Winning streak of the Madrilenians

Real Madrid got off to an outstanding start and started the new season with a winning streak. Including the European Super Cup, the Madrilenians have seven wins from seven games. In La Liga, the royals are at the top of the table with 15 points. It sounds as if the odds on an away win in the clash between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig do not have to be particularly important.

Last weekend, although Real certainly didn’t play their best game against RCD Mallorca, they won 4-1. Madrid had problems especially in the first half, when the islanders even initially went in front. Fede Valverde equalised at the break. After the change it took a while before the royals put the lid on the game. Late goals from Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Antonio Rüdiger gave them an impressive victory.

The Spaniards have problems in terms of personnel. The absence of Karim Benzema, who is out with a muscle injury, could be particularly noticeable. The striker can certainly not be replaced 1:1. The two absences of Alvaro Odriozola and Eder Militao, on the other hand, do not matter so much because Carlo Ancelotti has a few options in these positions.

Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Courtois – Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alaba, Mendy – Tchouameni, Modric, Kroos – Valverde, Hazard, Vinicius Junior – Coach: Ancelotti

Last matches played by Real Madrid:

La Liga
11/09/2022 – Real Madrid 4 – 1 Mallorca

Champions League Grp. F
07/09/2022 – Celtic Glasgow 0 – 3 Real Madrid

La Liga
03/09/2022 – Real Madrid 2 – 1 Real Betis

29/08/2022 – Espanyol 1 – 3 Real Madrid

21/08/2022 – Celta Vigo 1 – 4 Real Madrid

RB Leipzig – Statistics & current form

Marco Rose has his hands full at Leipzig at the moment. The coach only took up his duties with the Bullen last Wednesday and the Leipzig native has to go straight into the thick of things. The programme, with games against Dortmund, Real Madrid and Gladbach, is a real challenge. There is no time to take a breather at the moment. During the English weeks, the focus is only on one game after the other.

Still a lot of room for improvement

That will also be important, because the Saxons’ season so far has been very mixed. RasenBallsport have already played nine competitive games this season and have only left the pitch as winners three times. That is a very bitter result for a team that actually wants to play for the championship. They are currently only in tenth place in the Bundesliga with eight points from six games.

After all, Marco Rose’s debut was promising. Last weekend, Leipzig hosted Borussia Dortmund for the top match and the Bullen dominated their opponents for almost 90 minutes. In the end, the result was a deserved 3:0 home victory, which was also justified in this amount. Willi Orban, Dominik Szoboszlai and Amadou Haidara scored the goals.

The Saxons did not change much in terms of personnel. Dani Olmo and Lukas Klostermann will still be absent. It is conceivable that there will not be many changes for the weekend. Especially in the defensive midfield, the fighting qualities of Konrad Laimer and Xaver Schlager are urgently needed. Marco Rose is unlikely to change anything in the attacking quartet of Nkunku, Forsberg, Szoboszlai and Werner in his first international game with the Bullen.

Predicted line-up of RB Leipzig:
Gulacsi – Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum – Laimer, Schlager – Nkunku, Forsberg, Szoboszlai – Werner – Coach: Rose

Last matches played by RB Leipzig:

Bundesliga
10/09/2022 – RB Leipzig 3 – 0 Borussia Dortmund

Champions League Grp. F
07/09/2022 – RB Leipzig 1 – 4 Shakhtar Donetsk

Bundesliga
03/09/2022 – Eintracht Frankfurt 4 – 0 RB Leipzig

DFB Cup
31/08/2022 – Teutonia Ottensen 0 – 8 RB Leipzig

Bundesliga
27/08/2022 – RB Leipzig 2 – 0 VfL Wolfsburg

Real Madrid – RB Leipzig Direct comparison / H2H-balance

Real Madrid have played numerous duels with clubs from the Bundesliga. The bulls from Leipzig have not been there so far. Wednesday will be the first encounter between these two clubs. However, the Madrilenians have fought countless battles against German teams. For eleven games, however, the Royals are unbeaten against teams from the Bundesliga and have always scored at least twice.

RB Leipzig, however, has also had its share of experiences with Spanish football. So far, the Bullen have met La Liga clubs three times in three competitive matches. The opponents were Real Sociedad San Sebastian twice and Atletico Madrid once. In all three games, the Leipzigers remained without defeat. So the Saxons travel to Spain knowing that they can certainly compete with the best clubs from La Liga.

Real Madrid – RB Leipzig Tip

Real Madrid are in impressive early form. Seven wins from seven competitive matches is the record of the royals in the still young season. In this form, it will be difficult for RB Leipzig to take anything worthwhile away from the Bernabeu, especially as the Madrilenians have not lost to German clubs in their last eleven games.

Nevertheless, the Leipzigers travel to Spain with confidence, as they have never lost to a Spanish club in a competitive match. Moreover, after last weekend’s win against Dortmund, the Saxons are now mentally back on their feet.

We’re banking on the Rose effect in particular, which has already breathed new life into the Bullen in the Bundesliga. There is no question that Leipzig have great quality. Because top striker Karim Benzema will not be able to play, we have decided to play the betting odds on a draw between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig.