Champions League: Can the Old Lady Tame the Red Bull?

RB Leipzig vs Juventus

European royalty Juventus visit the relative newcomers of Leipzig on Wednesday in the second round of fixtures in the new Champions League format.

Champions League: Red Bull Leipzig vs Juventus is an eye-catching fixture which puts together two teams with contrasting histories but a similar intent, to disturb the current elite. While the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have their eyes firmly on the main prize, Juve and Leipzig are potential disruptors and will certainly expect to travel well into the knockout phase.   

The Leipzig arena will be bouncing on Wednesday night and I Bianconeri can expect a hostile reception, Thiago Motta’s visitors will need to be at their most resilient in Germany. Juventus opened their European account with a 3-1 win at home to PSV Eindhoven while Red Bull lost by the odd goal in three away to Atletico Madrid and that will give the hosts a bigger incentive to get off the mark.  

Marco Rose has been in Leipzig since 2022 and he has assembled a strong squad with bite up front and a solid rearguard. Getting it right at both ends of the pitch is what the fans want to see and when Red Bull are in full flow their home stadium is a formidable place to visit. The pre-match Red Bull Leipzig vs Juventus betting odds say this will be a tight game so the ‘twelfth man’ could well play a crucial role.

Both teams come into the match on the back of an impressive victory, Leipzig whacked FC Augsburg 4-0 while Juventus won 3-0 in Genoa, so we can expect a front foot battle from either team with confidence brimming, adrenalin flowing and no shortage of goalmouth action.

 

Talking Points

Openda, Sesko and Simons give Red Bull wings

With defensive stalwarts such as keeper Peter Gulacsi and skipper Willi Orban in the centre of defence, and creative wingback David Raum influential at both ends of the pitch this is a well-balanced team which gives its flair players a chance to thrive. Dutch youngster Xavi Simons is an exciting prospect and he’s part of a front three which can be devastating, as Augsburg found out on Saturday. Simons scored the fourth goal but that after Lois Openda have made it three, to continue his stellar form from last season. The Belgian star scored 28 goals in 44 games in all competitions on his arrival in Leipzig and he has already bagged another three already in the Bundesliga this term. The 24 year old is full of energy with a high pressing game and is a nightmare for defenders. And he has the perfect foil up front.      

6ft 5in striker Benjamin Sesko was outstanding as Red Bull dismantled FC Augsburg and he scored a brilliant brace to open the floodgates. He too had a strong debut campaign in 2023/24 and the classic big man and speed merchant combination works well, and with Simons buzzing around too opposition defenders can find their heads spinning.   

 

Juventus still unbeaten under Motta

His arrival at Juventus was greeted with some excitement after his coaching heroics at Bologna last season. And Motta has started well with I Bianconeri, with four wins and three draws from his opening seven games in charge.     

Bianconeri fans have had to look on as city rival Torino climbed to the top of Serie A but their 3-0 win away to Genoa followed by Il Toro’s 3-2 home defeat to Lazio on Sunday restored the natural order in Turin, with the Old Lady at the summit briefly, until Napoli won on Sunday to take top spot, with Torino down to fifth place.   

One player sure to feature heavily in the Red Bull Leipzig vs Juventus highlights reel is Bianconeri striker Dusan Vlahovic, who scored twice in the win over Genoa and is one of Serie A’s best strikers on his day.  

 

History

The Old Lady is part of European grandeur, having won the Champions League twice but, as relative new boys to the moneyed elite, Leipzig are yet to break through the glass ceiling; and the two teams are yet to meet in competition.

With three wins and three draws from the last six Juventus are in strong form, while Red Bull have been slightly less consistent, winning three, drawing two and losing once, that Champions League defeat to Atletico, and the hosts are unbeaten in ten matches at the Red Bull Arena.          

 

Betting Tip

With Red Bull at SBOTOP odds of 2.18 and Juve at 2.81 I quite like the look of the draw, which will keep both teams’ successful runs going and get the hosts off the mark in Europe.

A 1-1 draw is the shortest odds for a score-line at 5.70, while 0-0 at 10.12 is slightly more likely than 2-2 at 12.52. And for a very long shot, a six goal draw, 3-3, is available at 57.64; tempting…but I’m going to play it safer and I hope I don’t regret it!     

   

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