RB Leipzig vs Liverpool betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Football betting tips: Champions League
2pts Liverpool to win at 17/20 (Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill)
1pt Benjamin Sesko 1+ shots on target outside box at 7/2 (Betfair, Paddy Power)
BuildABet @ 11/1
- Liverpool to win
- Sesko 1+ shots on target
- Sesko 3+ total shots
- 25+ match total fouls committed
"In his strategic role, Jurgen Klopp won't be involved in day-to-day operations but will focus on supporting sports directors in advancing the Red Bull philosophy."
Cue TV director cutting to shots of awkward-looking new Red Bull global head of soccer, masking his true emotions when a goal is scored in Leipzig on Wednesday night in an effort to avoid the inevitable shit storm.
All Klopp need do is celebrate in favour of the home side (go on!) and he'll have successfully burned his bridges at both iconic, fan-centric clubs he was idolised by in the space of just a few short weeks after Dortmund supporters reacted non too fondly to his decision to turn heel and join the energy drink conglomerate only days after he was back on the touchline, receiving the adulation of the Yellow Wall, for two former players' testimonial.
Yuk Jurgen. Really yuk.
If he's any sense, he'll stay at home rather than witness his successor, currently evolving Klopp's Big Red Machine in a neat, methodical way, in all likelihood oversee victory, to maintain Liverpool's 100% start in the Champions League group phase and Leipzig's 0% one.
What are the best bets?
Arne Slot has thus far made light work of replacing his legendary predecessor, winning 10 of 11 games in all competitions with the only blemish a 1-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest.
They passed their sternest yet by beating Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday in what was an entertaining match, a seventh straight win that began with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory away at AC Milan, a game they utterly dominated.
The 2-0 home win over Bologna was more hard-fought, but like most of their matches this season they restricted their opponents to virtually no chances.
LIVERPOOL were 10/11 to win at the San Siro, and at only a little shorter TO WIN against a Leipzig team who lost at home to 10-man Juventus in their last fixture I'm more than happy to take the 17/20 about an away victory.
While Marco Rose's side have started the Bundesliga season well (W5 D2 L0) they've benefitted from a favourable set of fixtures, facing only one side in the top eight across their opening seven matches, and five of the current bottom eight.
Credit where it's due, that one top-eight team did happen to be champions Bayer Leverkusen away from home, who they stunned by coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2, scoring all three of their 'big chances' (xG > 0.30) to pull off an unlikely smash and grab to end Xabi Alonso's side's 43-game unbeaten domestic run.
Nonetheless, Liverpool will expect to leave the Red Bull Arena with three points.
We should back them to do so.
Sesko shoots on sight
One man likely to cause Liverpool problems is BENJAMIN SESKO.
He's scored all three of Leipzig's goals in the Champions League, but Liverpool's record of seven clean sheets and just four goals conceded in 11 matches this season has me steering clear of that market.
The Slovenia striker is quite the one-off. Despite being 6ft 5ins tall he loves to drop into pockets of space and shoot from distance, with it no surprise six of his 20 attempts in nine Bundesliga and Champions League appearances this term have come from OUTSIDE THE BOX, hitting the target twice.
Backing him to have 1+ SHOTS FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX at 7/2 is advised.
Against a Liverpool team who have been imperious defensively under Slot, this may well be Sesko's - and Leipzig's - best route to success.
Team news
Liverpool striker Diogo Jota is unlikely to feature after injuring his ribs after half an hour against Chelsea. Trent Alexander-Arnold almost missed that game and was substituted in the latter stages, so may drop to the bench.
South American trio Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz were left on the bench after long travel during the international break and could start. It's unclear if Conor Bradley and Federico Chiesa will return to the squad but Alisson and Harvey Elliott remain out.
Leipzig duo Lois Openda and Amadou Haidara should be fit despite limping off late on against Mainz at the weekend.
David Raum, Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald and Assan Ouedraogo remain out.
Predicted line-ups
Leipzig: Gulacsi; Orban, Klostermann, Lukeba; Geertruida, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Simons; Sesko, Openda.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Nunez.
Match facts
- RB Leipzig and Liverpool met in the last 16 of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, with the Reds winning both the home and away legs by the same scoreline: 2-0.
- RB Leipzig won three of their first four UEFA Champions League matches against English teams (L1) but have lost six of their last eight (W1 D1). They have also conceded 32 goals in their last 10 games against English opponents.
- Liverpool have won seven out of 10 UEFA Champions League meetings with German opposition (D2 L1), keeping six clean sheets. Their one defeat was in the away leg of the 2001-02 quarter-final, going down 4-2 to Bayer Leverkusen under Gérard Houllier.
- RB Leipzig have lost both their games in the UEFA Champions League this season despite scoring the opening goal in both, no side in the history of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League has done so in three consecutive games before.
- Liverpool are looking to win their opening three games to begin a UEFA Champions League campaign for the third time after 2020-21 and 2021-22 (first 7).
- Three of Liverpool’s five goals in the UEFA Champions League this season have been assisted by crosses (60%), with their three being the most of any side through the opening two matchdays. Each of those have been scored and assisted by a different player (Alexander-Arnold to Konaté, Tsimikas to van Dijk and Salah to Mac Allister).
- Since the start of 2019-20, RB Leipzig have conceded 17 goals in the final 10 minutes of the second half in UEFA Champions League games, more than any other side. Indeed, four of those have been the game’s winning goal, with no side conceding more.
- Benjamin Sesko has scored three goals in the UEFA Champions League for RB Leipzig so far this season. On the day of the game (21y 145d), he could become the fifth player to score in a side’s first three games of a UEFA Champions League campaign before turning 22 after Erling Haaland (twice), Jude Bellingham (twice), Ferran Torres and Alessandro Del Piero.
- Mohamed Salah has been involved in 12 goals in his previous nine appearances for Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (9 goals, 3 assists), scoring and assisting last time out against Bologna. Since 2017-18, no player has both scored and assisted in more games in the competition than Salah’s 9 (also Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé).
- Only Jerdy Schouten (23) has won possession more times in the UEFA Champions League this season than Ryan Gravenberch (19), while the Liverpool midfielder has been involved in three unique goal-ending build up sequences in open play this season, no player in the competition has more.
Odds correct at 1100 BST (22/10/24)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.