Leipzig meets Real Madrid again for the second consecutive year in the Champions League. Concha Espina did not like the draw too much, although they preferred it over PSG, whom they considered the bogeyman of the hype. The whites put Leipzig on a level more or less similar to Inter, with the exception that they have very favorable recent precedents with the Italians. The German team features the Catalan Dani Olmo, well accompanied by a former La Masía player, the 20-year-old Dutchman Xavi Simons, on loan from PSG.
The Germans are newcomers to elite football, since they were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016 thanks to the sponsorship of the Red Bull company. But since then they have consolidated. This is the fourth time they have passed the group stage and reached the round of 16. On one occasion, in the 2019-20 season, they reached the semifinals, kicking Atlético out of the quarterfinals, which had just eliminated the then champion, Liverpool.
There is only one precedent for confrontations between Real Madrid and Leipzig, last season in the group stage. Madrid won 2-0 at the Bernabéu and the Germans 3-2 at their stadium on a very bad day for the whites, who conceded two goals very early and did not know how to react. Two of those scorers are no longer here: Gvardiol (Manchester City) and Nkunku (Chelsea). Leipzig has also lost another of its references: Szoboszlai (Liverpool). That defeat forced Madrid to beat Celtic at the Bernabéu on the last day to secure a place in the round of 16.
Despite the losses, Leipzig, with Marco Rose on the bench, has maintained its characteristic style: little elaboration in the midfield and very vertical play. He is third in the Bundesliga and has not been able to count much on Olmo, who had to undergo surgery on November 3 for a shoulder injury. The one from Terrassa is already expected for the tie against the whites.
Olmo’s goals have been replaced by Xavi Simmons, who already has six goals and nine assists. Emilio Butragueño warns: “They are hard and very dangerous. It’s not going to be an easy rival. Luckily the return is at the Bernabéu.” Many years have passed but Real Madrid still understands that every visit to Germany was an ordeal in the 70s and 80s.
