Real Madrid’s form in the Champions League Group Stage was imperious and the Spaniards’ perfect 18-point haul from six games was matched only by title holders and current favourites, Manchester City.

Real’s tally of 16 goals also made them the second-most prolific team in the competition’s first phase, while five of their six tests in Group C featured over 2.5 goals. Similarly, all six of RB Leipzig’s UCL features during the same period spawned at least three goals and the potential for more action when these attack-minded teams collide on Tuesday feels high.

Die Roten Bullen came out on the right side of a five-goal thriller when they last hosted Real (Oct ’22) and though they might not upset the odds to win this time around, the German outfit play with enough forward momentum to ensure entertainment levels will be high again.

Backing over 2.5 goals to land again seems like the logical step with that in mind, however, Real Madrid are favoured to win the contest itself. Not that they were lacking self-belief to begin with, but Los Blancos’ thumping win over Girona at the weekend will have added a few extra notches to their confidence.

Carlo Ancelotti’s troops have won 12 out of 15 fixtures since the start of December while Leipzig’s form has been watery in comparison and the Germans have won only once in five attempts in the Bundesliga since the end of the winter break. Real are on a much firmer footing and they are favoured to win the first leg.

Real Madrid lost talismanic midfielder Jude Bellingham to injury at the weekend, robbing them of a potent force in the attacking third and denying punters a valuable option in the shot and goal-scoring markets, however, alternatives with merit exist elsewhere.

Livewire Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior have been averaging 3.60 and 3.40 shots per 90 in the Champions League this season, hitting the target with 2.10 and 1.40 of those strikes all told.

The fleet-footed attackers should enjoy working in tandem to unsettle a less than reliable Leipzig rearguard and at 1.36 and 1.50 to muster at least one shot on target respectively, Rodrygo and Vini Jr look very backable on Tuesday.

With Real Madrid missing several central-defensive options ahead of their first-leg tussle with Leipzig, the hosts could have space to exploit themselves and pacey Belgian striker Lois Openda could be a particularly troubling presence for the visitor’s patched-up backline.

The 23-year-old, who has been a bit hit during his maiden campaign with Leipzig, clipped at least one shot on target in five of his six appearances in the Group Stage and his running power could allow him to break beyond a weakened Real defensive line.

Openda’s foil in attack, Benjamim Sesko, represents a threat of a different sort. The physically imposing 6’4” Slovenian has hit a rich vein of form with goals in each of his last three games and he looks well placed to get a shot on target for the fifth Leipzig match on the spin.

RB Leipzig rank joint-third in the Bundesliga (11 goals) and joint-second in the Champions League (three goals) for goals scored from set-pieces this season, and there seems to be a clear emphasis on winning and taking advantage of corner kick routines at the club.

Indeed, Die Roten Bullen won at least seven corners in four of their six UCL Group Stage fixtures and given their record in that department, a target of 4.5 corners looks beatable on Tuesday.
Real Madrid conceded at least four corners in half of their group phase outings, in fact, their games in Group C were corner-heavy in general with their six matches in the section averaging a whopping 12.5 corners per 90.

RB Leipzig’s group games averaged a more modest 9.50 corners in comparison, however, the count could be a little loftier on Tuesday in what already promises to be an end-to-ender in Germany.

Bettors could hit bet builder pay dirt by adding a target of over 8.5 total corners to be won by both teams combined, a hurdle that seems safe enough to clear in the circumstances.

With Real Madrid in the grip of an injury crisis at centre half, classy French international Aurelien Tchouameni stepped back in defence against Girona at the weekend, and the 24-year-old looked largely untroubled in Los Blancos’ routine win.

However, Tchouameni isn’t likely to be given a similarly easy ride by RB Leipzig and the fill-in centre-back’s defensive nous could be thoroughly tested. With a pacey and combative front two to thwart in Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko, Tchouameni, who might have an uncomfortable evening in an unfamiliar position, could be worth a look in both the foul and card markets.

For Leipzig, tenacious midfielder tackler Xaver Schlager is expected to be in the thick of the action again. The 26-year-old Austrian is listed among Leipzig’s most prevalent foulers in both the Bundesliga and Champions League this season, and the timing of his challengers has been a bit off in recent weeks.

Schlager conceded three free kicks in two of his last four appearances for Die Roten Bullen and committed two fouls in another one of those runouts, and the one-paced anchorman could toil in his attempts to limit the forward bursts of Real’s midfielders and forwards on Tuesday.

Interestingly, Schlager fouled four times in one sitting against Man City last November and he could struggle to mix it against an opponent of a similar calibre when Leipzig meet Real Madrid.