Prediction & odds for the game: RB Leipzig (19/10) v Liverpool (13/10) – ST is backing the draw

When: Tuesday, 16th February @ 8pm K.O

Where: Puskas Arena

RB Leipzig and Liverpool will meet in Budapest tomorrow night as both attempt to put one foot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig are pushing Bayern Munich as hard as they can in the race to win the Bundesliga title this season, but it’s also worth remembering that they are legitimate contenders in the Champions League too. They came close to reaching the final last year before being dumped out in the final four, and we actually think they’ve been able to evolve quite nicely in the last few months. Now, we have to see whether or not they can play to their full potential.

A 3-2 loss to Mainz on January 23rd has been the only real blip on the radar of RB Leipzig’s recent form as they’ve also been able to register big wins over Union Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen, Bochum, Schalke and Augsburg.

Liverpool

The demise of Liverpool Football Club this season has been quite dramatic with many fans and pundits being stunned by just how far they’ve fallen in such a short space of time. Of course, the many injuries they’ve had to deal with can be seen as a contributing factor to this chaos, but there’s also some responsibility that needs to be taken by those in charge of what can only be described as one of the worst title defences in recent memory. The priority at this stage needs to be finishing in the top four, but many also want them to really go after a seventh UCL title.

After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United, the Reds bounced back with consecutive 3-1 wins over Tottenham and West Ham to end January. Since then, however, they’ve fallen into quite the slump with three straight defeats in the league to Brighton, Manchester City and Leicester.

Conclusion

We’re expecting there to be a lingering sense of tension in the air for this game – and not just because both clubs don’t really know where they’ll end up playing the second leg of this tie yet. Leipzig are viewed as the betting underdogs but they’ve got far more momentum than Liverpool do right now, and therefore, we think they have more pressure. What we think will happen is that both sides cancel each other out, leaving plenty of questions for the second leg in the process.

Our official scoreline prediction is going to be a 1-1 draw, ensuring we stick with the under 2.5 goals marker – so don’t expect a classic.

Verdict: Back the draw at odds of 13/5 and the under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 6/5 (All odds are taken from bet365).

[geosnippet id=3620]

If you want to bet on RB Leipzig vs Liverpool then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures on the soccer predictions page as this season’s Champions League drama returns.