Prediction & odds for the game: RB Leipzig (23/10) v Atletico Madrid (27/20)
When: Thursday, 13th August @ 8pm K.O
Where: Estadio José Alvalade
RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid will meet on Thursday night with a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League on the line.
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig haven’t been around for all too long, but in their short existence, they’ve certainly made a whole lot of noise. They’ve been bringing some great talent up through the ranks in recent years, and while they may not quite be challenging for the title just yet, their resources and continued growth suggests it won’t be too long before they do. They will be proud simply to have reached this stage of the competition, but now, with the finish line in sight, they’ll want more.
Back at the start of June, Leipzig were able to make their intentions crystal clear with a comfortable 4-2 win over Cologne. They did proceed to drop two points against Paderborn and Fortuna Dusseldorf, but they managed to sandwich a 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim into that spell. They went on to lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund, before ending their campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over FC Augsburg.
Atletico Madrid
It wasn’t easy for Atletico Madrid to keep up with the top two in La Liga this season, but even after their own difficulties, they’re still in the mix for a Champions League title. It’s the honour they’ve been craving for years now, and while lifting the trophy this year can’t erase the pain of their defeats to local rivals Real Madrid, they’ll still know what three more wins would do for their fanbase.
Atletico more than held their own in a 2-2 draw against Barcelona back in late June, before running out 3-0 winners over Mallorca to start off the chaotic month of July. They then drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo prior to registering back to back wins against Real Betis and Getafe, only to finish the season with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad.
Conclusion
Leipzig have come a long way, but they’re going up against an experienced side with two Champions League finals under their belt over the course of the last few years. It’s going to be a pretty back and forth game and we do think the German side will do everything they can to drag Atletico into deep water, but whether or not they’ll actually be able to beat them is a different matter. We think it’ll be fun to watch for the neutrals, but Atletico will grind out the result they need.
We do believe both sides will hit the back of the net, and as such, we’re backing the over 2.5 goals market – so buckle up.
Verdict: Back the away win at odds of 27/20 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 11/8 (All odds are taken from bet365).
[geosnippet id=3620]You can bet on RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid by heading on over to the betting page, or you can check out the other available games at the soccer predictions page.
