Real Madrid seek third straight Champions League win against RB Leipzig

Real Madrid will aim to make it three wins from three in the 2026-27 Champions League when they host RB Leipzig at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

The Merengues began the league phase with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan before edging past Roma 4-3 last week. Those six points place Jose Mourinho’s side eighth in the overall standings.

Leipzig have three points from their opening two matches. They lost 4-1 to Como before recovering to beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0, leaving the Bundesliga club 21st in the table.

Real Madrid have also won three matches in a row in all competitions since the Madrid derby. Their latest success was a 4-1 victory against Sevilla, which moved them up to third in La Liga on 21 points, six behind leaders FC Barcelona.

The Spanish club finished 11th in last season’s Champions League league phase but reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich. Greater progress is expected this campaign.

The sides have met four times in the Champions League. Real Madrid lead the head-to-head record with two wins, compared with one for Leipzig, while the other fixture ended in a draw.

Leipzig’s most recent outing brought a 6-1 defeat by Bayern Munich, leaving Martin Demichelis’ team seventh in the Bundesliga with nine points. Their previous Champions League league-phase campaign, in 2024-25, ended with a 32nd-place finish after seven defeats in eight matches.

The German side lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in their first meeting in September 2022, but won the return fixture 3-2 in October 2022. Leipzig have therefore already beaten the Spanish giants. However, they are without a win in their past three matches against Spanish opposition, the latest ending in a 2-1 defeat by Atletico de Madrid in 2024-25.

Real Madrid’s Champions League form is V, V, while their overall sequence is V, V, D, V, V, V. Leipzig’s corresponding records are D, V and D, V, D, V, V, D.

Rodrygo (knee), Ferland Mendy (hip) and Raul Asencio (leg) remain unavailable for Real Madrid. Vinicius Junior, suspended only in domestic competitions, returns to the squad and is expected to replace Endrick in the starting line-up. Federico Valverde should continue at right-back, while Arda Guler impressed in central midfield against Sevilla.

Kylian Mbappe has scored 11 goals in 11 appearances this season and will lead the attack again. The main betting selections are a 3-1 Real Madrid win at 8.25, Real Madrid to win with Mbappe scoring at 1.52, and Vinicius Junior to score at 2.12.

Leipzig will be without Christoph Baumgartner (hamstring) and Assan Ouedraogo (shoulder). Antonio Nusa has four goals and three assists in nine appearances and is expected to feature in an attacking role. Christopher Nkunku, with four goals and two assists, and Romulo, who has scored once in five appearances in 2026-27, are also expected to start.

Probable teams

Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Carreras; Guler, Tchouameni; Diomande, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe.

RB Leipzig: Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Banzuzi, El Aynaoui; Gruda, Nkunku, Nusa; Romulo.