RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool – Champions League Betting Preview, February 16, 2021

Budapest’s Puskas Arena is the venue for the first leg of RB Leipzig and Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday, February 16.

The game has been moved to Hungary due to travel restrictions in Germany, meaning the first competitive encounter between the teams will be played on neutral soil.

If you’re wagering on Tuesday’s Champions League clash, make sure you check out my RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool prediction and betting pick below.

With no home-field advantage to consider here, Liverpool (2.30) heads to Hungary as the bookmakers’ favorite to win the first leg.

But as you can see, the top online sportsbooks clearly believe that this will be a tight affair, with the big price for the RB Leipzig win (3.00) likely to attract plenty of attention.

It is worth noting that Leipzig has never faced Liverpool before. However, the manner with which Julian Nagelsmann’s men crushed EPL side Tottenham 4-0 at this stage in last season’s competition is difficult to ignore.

Of course, this is a completely different proposition altogether. But I think it’s important to remember that the Red Bulls have a history of beating English opponents in the Champions League.

Indeed, Leipzig beat Manchester United 3-2 to qualify for the knockout stages back in December. The German team finished level with PSG on 12 points at the top of Group H – three points ahead of third-place Man Utd.

Nagelsmann’s side beat Augsburg 2-1 last time out, extending their winning streak to four games in all competitions. The Red Bulls seems to be the only team within touching distance of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Leipzig has scored ten goals across their previous four wins, as well as keeping three clean sheets. With numbers like that, the Germans will fancy their chances of heaping more misery on off-form Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp’s men qualified from Group D without any problems, finishing two points clear of second-place Atalanta and six points clear of third-place Ajax. The Reds only lost one of their six group games, securing a memorable 0-5 thrashing in Italy along the way.

But since then, not a lot has gone right for Liverpool.

The Merseysiders have only managed to win two of their last ten Premier League matches, recording three draws and five losses in that time. Following a 3-1 defeat to Leicester on Saturday, Liverpool heads into Tuesday’s game on the back of three straight losses.

Injuries to key players like Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota, and Fabinho haven’t helped the team’s cause, while a couple of high-profile errors from goalkeeper Alisson have cost the Reds points in recent games.

But with Klopp’s side now sitting 13 points behind Man City and effectively out of the EPL title race, the Champions League could be the club’s best chance of silverware this term.

When the draw for the Round of 16 was made back in December, Liverpool would have been pretty pleased to have avoided one of Europe’s powerhouses. But right now, it feels like the English side is completely bereft of belief.

Ultimately, Klopp’s men are enduring a dismal run at the moment. On the flip side, the Red Bulls are looking like their usual selves. Having taken everything into consideration, I believe the high price for the Leipzig win must be taken advantage of.