Liverpool vs RB Leipzig
The wheels have well and truly come off Liverpool’s snakebitten season. Jurgen Klopp’s side have suffered a massive collapse in the Premier League, so much so that their chances of qualifying for next year’s Champions League are looking more and more unlikely.
The Reds will now look to salvage what’s left of their season by going as far as they can in Europe. However, they must first get past a dangerous RB Leipzig side in the round of 16.
Liverpool hold a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg back in Budapest. But while the Champions League 2021 betting odds still back the Reds, don’t discount the Red Bulls’ ability to mount a stunning comeback against the struggling English champions.
Talking Points
Liverpool’s struggles continue
It seems strange to say, but Liverpool will likely be a bit relieved not to be playing their Champions League second leg at Anfield. The Reds have gone winless in their last eight games, with six losses in a row at their famous fortress.
After beating bottom side Sheffield United, Liverpool have lost back-to-back games, first to Thomas Tuchel’s resurgent Chelsea, then to relegation strugglers Fulham.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp instructs his players during their Champions League Round of 16 leg 1 match
Jurgen Klopp shook up his misfiring attack, starting Diogo Jota and Xherdan Shaqiri either side of Mohamed Salah against Fulham. But those changes did not make much difference as the Reds lost 1-0 while failing to score for the sixth time in their last seven home matches.
Aside from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Klopp also opted to rest the likes of Fabinho, Trent-Alexander Arnold, and Thiago. All three are likely to return in midweek.
However, it remains to be seen what other changes Klopp can make and whether they can help revitalise his struggling side.
The good news for Klopp and Liverpool is that they don’t need to win the second leg against Leipzig to move on to the quarter-finals. They could even lose by a single goal and still go through.
With that in mind, Klopp could opt to play a more cautious style, dare Leipzig to break down their defence, then hit them on the counterattack with the pace of Salah and Mane in behind.
RB Leipzig looking good
RB Leipzig’s season keeps getting better. They are through to the DFB-Pokal semi-final after beating Wolfsburg and are keeping pace with leaders Bayern Munich after a 3-0 win over Freiburg.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side have now won an impressive six games in a row in the Bundesliga as they remain two points behind Bayern.
However, Leipzig were quite disappointing in their first-leg defeat to Liverpool. They did not create many goalscoring opportunities and were undone by a couple of costly errors at the back which led to Liverpool’s two goals.
Because of those two away goals, Leipzig must win 2-0 just to force extra-time. But despite their two-goal deficit, Leipzig should still enter the second leg with confidence that they can turn the tie around.
Even with their lack of a top-class striker, there is still a lot of goals in the side. Alexander Sorloth and Christopher Nkunku are both in fine form at the moment with two goals and two assists in their last three games, while Yussuf Poulsen has two goals and an assist.
Although, wing-back Angelino remains a doubt after he missed his third-straight game over the weekend. His absence would be huge for Leipzig. The Spaniard has created several Champions League 2021 highlights with three goals and three assists in seven games.
But the good news for the Germans is that captain Marcel Sabitzer should be well-rested after sitting out the Freiburg match due to suspension.
History
While Liverpool will not be at home, they do have a terrific record as the home side against German opposition. They are undefeated in 16 total matches, with 12 wins and four draws.
As for Leipzig, this will be sixth total match against an English side in the Champions League. They lost to Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford during the group stage, but they got their revenge by beating the Red Devils 3-2 in the reverse fixture.
Betting Tip
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Liverpool vs RB Leipzig | RB Leipzig Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 1.70 |
| March 11, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Liverpool installed as narrow 2.29 favourites in the neutral ground of the Puskas Arena. Leipzig are 2.91 to win the second leg and a draw is 3.45.
Given Liverpool’s recent struggles, Leipzig look to have a good shot at winning the second leg. Although, going through to the quarter-finals – which requires beating Liverpool by enough to overturn two away goals — will be tricky, to be sure.
Nevertheless, I expect Nagelsmann’s side to at least avoid another defeat to the Merseysiders and should put up a much tougher fight in the second leg.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Champions League: Leipzig Look to Get Last Laugh over Liverpool appeared first on SBOTOP.