Champions League: Red Bull to Deepen Liverpool’s Crisis?

RB Leipzig vs Liverpool

Champions League action returns this week when Red Bull Leipzig and Liverpool come face-to-face at the Puskas Arena.

COVID travel restrictions mean that the tie is being played at the neutral venue, but with fans still not allowed in numbers, this change is unlikely to affect the outcome. Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig are full of confidence, on a run of four consecutive victories, while Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are in desperate need of a boost, having lost their last three.

The Reds have plenty of quality of course, but they are in a rut.

 

Talking Points

Red Bull have wings

In contrast, Leipzig are flying at the moment; a 2-1 league victory over Augsburg on Friday night, thanks to goals from Dani Olmo and Christopher Nkunku, cemented their second place in the Bundesliga table.

It was a hard-fought win as French winger Nkunku continued to impress, bagging his fourth goal of the season. He’s also made four assists, two in the Bundesliga and two in the Champions League.

Die Roten Bullen are the biggest threat to FC Bayern’s dominance in the Bundesliga; they are four points behind the champions who have a game in hand. Nagelsmann sold top scorer Timo Werner last summer but his team has coped perfectly well at home and in Europe. They qualified from Group H, alongside Paris Saint-Germain while dumping Manchester United into the Europa League.

The loss of their main striker has meant the goals have been shared around. Defender Angelino scored three goals and made four assists in Red Bull’s Champions League group campaign, while midfield general Marcel Sabitzer supports his front men, Emile Forsberg and Yussuf Poulsen.

Centre-back Dayot Upamecano is becoming the complete player; strong in the tackle and in the air and with good positional sense, and he is the fifth fastest player in the league, with a top speed of 35.43 kph.

Liverpool need to be aware that Red Bull have won more penalties than any other team in the league (eight), and they must handle the tricky Nkunku with care.

 

Liverpool’s confidence is shot  

The pre-match Champions League 2021 news for this fixture is dominated by Liverpool’s troubles. Having stormed to the league title last season, Klopp’s men are in danger of slipping out of the top four in the Premier League.

The Reds arrive in Hungary on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Leicester but the result didn’t really come as a surprise as the fifth loss in seven games in all competitions, prompting Klopp to admit that Liverpool’s title hopes have all but vanished.

They have had big problems at both ends of the pitch. In January, they went four Premier League games without scoring, drawing blanks against Newcastle United, Southampton, Manchester United and Burnley, but just as they started to recover from that problem, things started to go wrong at the back.

Goalkeeper Alisson has earned great admiration at Anfield since his arrival at the club and, along with the signing of Virgil van Dijk, the Brazilian stopper is seen as one of the key moves that Klopp made to turn Liverpool from also-rans to champions.

After a poor game against Manchester City last week, the Reds’ Premier League clash at the King Power Stadium handed him an opportunity to redeem himself. But the big moment in the game came, with just ten minutes remaining, when Alisson charged off his line to clatter his own defender and presented Jamie Vardy with the easiest of chances to turn the game in the Foxes’ favour.

Alisson is undoubtedly missing the reassuring presence of Virgil van Dijk in front of him, but his form is now another concern for Klopp. Defeat to Leicester was the first time Liverpool had lost three consecutive Premier League games since 2014 and they desperately need a lift before they face Everton in the Merseyside derby next weekend.

The Reds came through a tough Champions League qualifying group on top, ahead of Atalanta and Ajax, and they will hope to recapture that form and banish their domestic blues for a week.

 

History

The latest Champions League 2021 betting odds make Liverpool third favourites to win their seventh European crown, behind FC Bayern and Manchester City, but it’s difficult to look beyond those two standout teams of European football.

 

This is the first game between Red Bull and Liverpool, and that’s little surprise when you consider the German club’s meteoric rise over the last decade.

So we need to look at recent form to help us make a call, and a glance at the last six games reveals a stark contrast, while Red Bull have won five from six, Liverpool have toiled, winning just two and losing the other four.

 

Betting Tip

	RB Leipzig vs Liverpool	Half Time Full Time Draw-Home @ 7.18
	February 17, 04:00 (GMT+8)

Red Bull are at SBOTOP odds of 2.92 to win this game, with the draw at 3.30, and Liverpool are at 2.20 to win.

But a Liverpool victory would take a turnaround in form for both teams and the Germans played on Friday so have an extra day to recover. I’m backing Red Bull to heap more pressure on Liverpool with a late winner.

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (Highly confident)	= €10 (CONFIDENT)	= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

 

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