Real Madrid will be looking to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League when they welcome Leipzig to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Sitting on a precarious 1-0 lead from the first leg, a stunning solo strike from Brahim Diaz proved to be the difference between the two sides in Germany.
Carlo Ancelotti’s charges warmed up for this game with a 2-2 draw away to Valencia last weekend, and with league matters seemingly taking care of itself, the chance to reach the last eight of Europe’s elite competition for the 20th time will be too good an opportunity to turn down.
Leipzig, on the other hand, are targeting just a second Champions League quarter-final appearance, but they will have taken some encouragement from their first leg performance against Los Blancos.
No side has any fresh injury concerns to contend with, and this could be an enticing game.
But how will things transpire in the Spanish capital? Can Leipzig cause an upset? I have delved into the markets and handpicked a couple of betting tips for your consideration.
Real Madrid to finish off the job in style
After a stern assignment three weeks ago, Real will be hoping that things will be somewhat easier at the Bernabeu this time around.
Although this is Madrid’s first knockout tie against a Bundesliga club since the 2017/18 semi-finals when they beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate, their record in two-legged ties against German clubs is still impressive (W18 L8).
Moreover, the La Liga giants are a formidable force at home, winning 17 of their past 24 home European games (D3 L4), and 16 of the most recent 20 (D2, L2). Oh, and to underline their credentials, they have won 36 of the 38 ties in which they recorded an away first-leg win.
Leipzig, on the other hand, have struggled on the road in Europe, winning just 13 of their past 32 games, and they have tasted defeat five times in their past 12 outings.
While there were some positive signs for Leipzig in the first leg, chances could well come at a premium for them in the Bernabeu. Real, in the meantime, have been fairly watertight, keeping three clean sheets in their previous five games in all competitions.
For my opening gambit, I’m going with Real to win & to win to nil, which is available at 2/1 with Paddy Power.
Vinicius Jr to engineer something special
While Diaz took the plaudits in the first leg with a sublime goal, Real have an abundance of firing power at their disposal.
That includes Vinicius Jr, who is likely to be a handful, and Leipzig will be wary of him.
While he would have liked to have bolstered his goal tally in the Champions League by this stage (two to date), the top players inevitably rise to the occasion.
A two-goal showing against Valencia last weekend will have given Vinicius a much-needed boost, and I have a sneaky feeling the Brazilian forward will produce something special against Leipzig.
To round things off, I’m going with Vinicius to score from outside the area, and he can be backed at 12/1 to do so with William Hill.
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