RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad
RB Leipzig will be looking to gain an early advantage over Real Sociedad in their Europa League knockout round play-off tie as they host La Real in the first leg.
The Red Bulls have been in fine form under new coach Domenico Tedesco, who has led them to six wins in his first nine games in charge, and the Europa League 2022 betting odds have given them the slight edge.
But La Real, who have reached the Europa League knockout phase for the second successive season, will prove to be a tough opponent as they look to make it to the round of 16.
Talking Points
Red Bulls back on track under Tedesco
After a rough spell under Jesse Marsch, RB Leipzig are back on the right track under new coach Domenico Tedesco. The Italian has led Leipzig to six wins in his nine games in charge, with five coming in the last six games as they’ve climbed back up to fourth in the Bundesliga table. Their lone setback during that time was a 3-2 defeat away to Bayern Munich.
Leipzig are back to being a ruthless offensive machine under Tedesco as they’ve scored two or more goals in eight of his nine games in charge.
Christopher Nkunku has continued his excellent goalscoring form; the French forward scored seven goals in the Champions League group stage and has 19 goals and 8 assists in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Dani Olmo is getting back to his best after missing much of the first half of the season. The Spanish midfielder had a goal and an assist in Leipzig’s 3-1 win over Koln over the weekend.
Tedesco has started a front three of Nkunku, Olmo, and Andre Silva in recent games, but the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Emil Forsberg, and Yussuf Poulsen are also available off the bench if needed.
Meanwhile, American defensive midfielder Tyler Adams is back in contention to start after missing the past few weeks with a thigh injury.
La Real striker options
Real Sociedad will head into the first leg against Leipzig on the back of a 2-0 win over Granada in La Liga. It was a much-needed win for La Real, who had not won or scored a goal in their previous three matches. That included a humiliating 4-0 thrashing at home against Real Betis in the Copa del Rey.
Mikel Oyarzabal starred for Sociedad as he scored a goal and set up the other in their win over Granada. The Spanish international has been La Real’s most reliable striker this season with 10 goals, including two in the Europa League.
Meanwhile, striker Alexander Isak – who shone for Sweden in Euro 2020 – continues to struggle; he has scored just one goal in his last 11 appearances. Although, he has produced his share of Europa League 2022 highlights, scoring three goals this season – all away from home.
Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil does have on-loan Leipzig striker Alexander Sorloth as another option to start. The big Norwegian has two goals and assist in five Europa League appearances this season and will be eager to score against his parent club.
Sociedad have had their struggles away from home lately. They’ve failed to win any of their last four away games in La Liga (two losses, two draws) and have scored just once during that time.
History
This will be the first-ever meeting between Leipzig and Real Sociedad in European competition. Leipzig have met Spanish opposition just once before when they faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions quarter-finals in 2020. They won 2-1 in Lisbon thanks to goals from Dani Olmo and Tyler Adams.
Meanwhile, Sociedad have more experience with German opposition, facing them eight times in total. However, they have won just two of those eight matches, with four defeats.
Their most recent experience against German foes came in the 2013 Champions League group stage, where they lost both matches against Bayer Leverkusen.
Betting Tip
 |
 | RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad | 1X2 RB Leipzig @ 1.92 |
| February 18, 4:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have RB Leipzig installed as 1.92 favourites to win the first leg at home. Real Sociedad are priced at 3.95, while a draw is at 3.25.
While Real Sociedad are a good side, it’s tough to go against the Red Bulls. Leipzig are looking much better under Tedesco and with all the talented attackers at his disposal, they should have more than enough firepower to score a crucial first-leg advantage against La Real.
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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