Champions League: Red Bull Alert for Carlo’s Blancos

Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig

Real Madrid are in Champions League action again on Wednesday when Marco Rose’s Red Bull Leipzig rock up at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos come into the game as strong favourites having won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a wonder strike from Brahim Diaz, but the Bundesliga side had plenty of chances, and, at SBOTOP odds of 5.76 of getting through this tie, the attack-minded Red Bulls will throw everything at their hosts. 

In the run-up to this mega clash, Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Valencia at the weekend, and there was plenty of controversy in that match; meanwhile, Leipzig come into the game on the back of an impressive 1-4 win away to Bochum.

Talking points

Angry Bellingham set to start

Jude Bellingham has made an incredible start to his Real Madrid career, and he scored four goals in Los Blancos’ Champions League knockout phase, but he was sidelined with an injury for the first leg, nursing an ankle injury.

He will be back in action for the second leg, and, fuelled by a sense of injustice, the England man will be desperate to pass his pain on to the Germans. 

Real Madrid’s game away to Valencia was destined to be a tasty affair after Los Blancos’ slapped Los Ches 5-1 when they met at the Bernabeu. The hosts raced into a two-goal lead through Hugo Duro and Roman Yarenchuck before Vinicius Junior scored twice to tee up a grandstand finish.

And when Bellingham headed in a cross from Diaz, with 99 minutes on the clock, there was bedlam in the away end at the Mestalla. But Bellingham’s joy turned to despair when the referee explained that he had blown the final whistle while the ball was in the air and before it hit the net.

Ancelotti branded the decision ‘an insult’ but Bellingham’s language was a little fruitier! The England man told the ref it was ‘a f*@king goal’ and that earned him a red card. So he was not in the best of moods on Saturday, and that could mean trouble for Leipzig.

Bellingham is one booking away from a European ban, so he will need to channel his anger, but I’m sure the Red Bull players will do their best to wind him up. 

The Champions League 2024 betting odds say Los Blancos are the biggest threat to Manchester City at a price of 5.50 to win the title, and, with Bellingham, Diaz, and Vinicius firing, they have a decent chance. 

Red Bull must be more clinical 

Diaz’ spectacular strike in the first leg was one of the Champions League 2024 highlights of the round, for sure, but the Bundesliga side were kicking themselves after they spurned a host of chances to take a first-leg lead.

Benjamin Sesko was frequently denied by Blancos’ keeper Andriy Lunin, and he will be keen to put that right on Wednesday. And Rose’s team showed just the ruthlessness they need in their destruction of Bochum over the weekend.

Red Bull are in a battle for a Champions League place with Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart, currently fifth but just a point behind BVB, and the 4-1 win has given Rose’s team wings again.

After keeper Peter Gulacsi fumbled a seventh-minute free-kick into the net, his outfield mates helped him out as Dani Olmo, Lois Openda, and Yussuf Poulsen all scored, and Bochum defender Ivan Ordets put through his own net. 

Openda has four goals in the competition, and he will be the biggest threat to the Los Blancos’ defence, while Leipzig’s own rearguard will need to be at its best.

French defender Mo Simakan was booked in the first leg, and he will sit this one out, so Castello Lukeba and Willi Orban will probably start at centre-back, with Lukas Klostermann in a race against time to recover from a hip injury. 

History

When the two teams met in the Champions League in 2022, both won at home, but this time around, Real Madrid have grabbed a narrow advantage in Leipzig. 

Real Madrid have won three and drawn three of the last six and are unbeaten in eight games, while Leipzig have won three, drawn one, and lost two of the last six games.

Los Blancos have not lost at the Santiago Bernabeu in 23 games, so this is some task for the Red Bulls, who will try to be the first team to overturn a first-leg deficit against Los Blancos since Ajax managed it in 2019. 

Betting Tip

At 1.51 to win, Los Blancos are hot favourites to boss this leg and make their way comfortably through to the quarterfinals, while Red Bull are priced at 4.69 and the Draw is at 4.01.

I think Ancelotti’s men will make it through, but I’m expecting a buoyant Leipzig to give them plenty of work to do over 100 minutes on Wednesday. 

 

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