Real Madrid will look to establish a lead when they square up against RB Leipzig in the first leg of the Round of 16 away from home.
It is time for the knockout stage of the Champions League to get underway, and RB Leipzig are all set to host Real Madrid, the record winners of the UCL. The German outfit have not been at their consistent best, and they will have to be at the top of their game to take a lead in the first leg of this Round of 16 fixture.
Leipzig have not been at their best this season. They are currently 5th in the Bundesliga and have suffered three defeats in their last five league outings. As far as the Champions League is concerned, they finished second in their group behind Manchester City, with four wins and two losses in their six matches.
Both their defeats came at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s City. They are now heading into this all-important fixture against the team from Madrid on the back of a 2-2 draw against Augsburg. The German club will have to put together a much better performance if they want to get past the high-flying Real Madrid.
Los Blancos have been flying high this season, and they have only suffered two defeats so far. Carlo Ancelotti’s team sit at the top of La Liga and made it to the Round of 16 by winning each of their six games in the group stage.
The Merengues were sensational in the group stage and will look to carry on in a similar fashion. Real Madrid are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-0 win over second-placed Girona, and they will be confident of getting a similar result against RB Leipzig. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News and Tactics
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose has the majority of his first-team players fit for this fixture. The only concern is the availability of Amadou Haidara, who missed their last outing due to a minor knee injury. Meanwhile, Mohamed Simakan and Benjamin Henrichs are both one yellow card from suspension and will have to be careful to ensure they do not end up missing the second leg.
The home team will feature in a 4-2-2-2 formation, where Peter Gulacsi will be in goal. Willi Orban will feature alongside Castello Lukeba in the heart of the defence. The duo will look for a clean sheet against one of the best attacks in the world. They will have the support of Mohamed Simakan and David Raum, who will feature as the full-backs.
In the centre of the park, Xaver Schlager will start alongside Kevin Kampl. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game and have the majority of the possession. Dani Olmo and Xavi Simons will feature out wide on the flanks. They will look to provide width to their attack and ensure they support the full-backs. Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko will be the two forwards.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Gulacsi; Simakan, Lukeba, Orban, Raum; Olmo, Schlager, Kampl, Simons; Sesko, Openda
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba are already out injured. Real Madrid squared up against second-placed Girona without any of their centre-backs available. Things have not improved much, but they do have Nacho back for this fixture.
Antonio Rudiger is still out injured, while the biggest blow is the injury that Jude Bellingham has picked up. The England international is expected to be out for a couple of weeks.
Carlo Ancelotti will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, with Andriy Lunin in goal. With Nacho back, Dani Carvajal will shift back to the right-back slot, and Ferland Mendy will feature on the left flank. Aurelien Tchouameni will continue as the right-sided centre-back, while Nacho will take charge on the left.
The back four will be eyeing another clean sheet after having kept one without any of their first-team centre-backs in their last outing. Meanwhile, Toni Kroos should continue as the holding midfielder, with Federico Valverde on the right and Eduardo Camavinga on the left.
The trio will look to dictate the pace of the game and with Bellingham out injured, Brahim Diaz should be the one who takes his place in the XI. As far as the attack is concerned, Vinicius Junior will pair up with Rodrygo Goes in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Tchouameni, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Camavinga; Diaz; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Key Stats
- Real Madrid and RB Leipzig have squared up against each other in the UCL on two occasions, both meetings were in the group stage last season and the home team came out on top on both occasions.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s team have won each of their six group-stage games heading into this Round of 16 fixture.
- The German club have not played out a draw for a while now, in their last nine games in all competitions, they have won seven and lost two.
- Real Madrid have only lost twice this season, both defeats have come away from home against local rivals Atletico Madrid.
- Leipzig have found the back of the net on at least two occasions in four out of their six home games in the UEFA Champions League.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
The initial days after returning to Real Madrid last summer were a bit difficult for the Spanish international as he was not getting much game time. Slowly that has started to change and he has started to produce the results.
He has been involved in 27 matches where he has racked up just over 1,100 minutes. In his limited game time, he has found the back of the net on seven occasions and also has three assists to his name. Diaz is expected to start against Leipzig with Bellingham out injured and Ancelotti will expect the 24-year-old to help his team take the lead from the first leg.
Prediction
RB Leipzig 1-3 Real Madrid
Both teams have had contrasting fortunes of late. Real Madrid have been on a dominant run despite the number of injuries that they have suffered while RB Leipzig have been a touch inconsistent.
The German club do have quality players in their ranks but when it comes to Real Madrid, they have a star-studded squad which might prove to be a touch too much for the home team. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the visitors.
