Atletico Madrid vs RB Leipzig predictions: Red Bulls on the charge in Madrid
- RB Leipzig are unbeaten after four competitive games this season
- Atletico Madrid have dropped points in two of their five outings this term
- Recommended bet: Tie or RB Leipzig Double Chance
After both sides were eliminated by eventual finalists in last season’s Champions League campaign, Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig get their latest attempts underway when they meet at the Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano on Thursday.
With Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig each sporting an unbeaten record so far this season, both sides will be expecting to put in a good showing in this season’s competition.
Team news
Pablo Barrios withdrew from the Spain U21 squad after suffering a muscle injury which will keep him out until October, joining Reinildo and long-term absentee Borja Garces on the sidelines for Atletico Madrid.
Xaver Schlager is out for RB Leipzig until at least the new year with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, with fellow midfielder Assan Ouedraogo also out with a knee injury.
The stats
RB Leipzig are unbeaten after four competitive games this season.
Atletico Madrid have dropped points in two of their five outings this term.
RB Leipzig won 2-1 in the only previous meeting between these sides in 2020.
RB Leipzig’s only defeats in their last 15 Champions League games have come against either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by finalists Borussia Dortmund in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals and, while they have started the season in decent form, they could find themselves in for a tough match in the 2024-25 curtain-raiser.
RB Leipzig, also beaten by finalists last season, have won three and drawn one of their four competitive matches this season and became the first side to beat Bayer Leverkusen at home in well over a year in August.
The visitors have lost five of their last 15 Champions League assignments, but all of these defeats came against the heavy-hitting duo of Manchester City and Real Madrid, and they have avoided defeat in three of their eight meetings with those powerhouses over the past two years.
Atletico Madrid, buoyed by a host of big-name signings this summer, did comfortably see off Valencia 3-0 at the weekend, but they have only won three of their five competitive matches this term and they did fail to win four of their 10 Champions League fixtures last season.
The only previous meeting between these sides saw RB Leipzig take a 2-1 win in August 2020, and the German side will prove a tough nut to crack in the Spanish capital.
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