MX23RW : Monday, December 16 08:21:58| >> :120:36783:36783:
[monks data]
Leipzig logo
Bundesliga | Gameweek 19
Jan 30, 2021 at 5.30pm UK
Red Bull Arena
Leverkusen logo

RB Leipzig
1 - 0
B. Leverkusen

Nkunku (51')
Kluivert (90'), Haidara (90+2')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Bellarabi (60'), Bailey (75')

Preview: RB Leipzig vs. Bayer Leverkusen - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

RB Leipzig take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with the visitors able to overtake their forthcoming opponents into second place in the table with a victory.

Both sides are looking to bounce back from disappointing defeats last weekend.


Match preview

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann pictured on January 23, 2021© Reuters

Leipzig's 3-2 defeat to second-bottom Mainz 05 was a particularly gruelling one given that it was the hosts' first home win of the season.

Indeed, Julian Nagelsmann's side twice took the lead in the first half through Tyler Adams's and Marcel Halstenberg's close-range finishes, but were pegged back on both occasions by Moussa Niakhate after sloppy set-piece defending.

Superb wing play by Danny da Costa set up Leandro Barreiro at the near post, with the midfielder's delightfully deft touch proving enough to earn a massive three points for Mainz in their unlikely attempt to survive relegation.

For Leipzig, it leaves them seven points behind league leaders Bayern, with the club's first ever Bundesliga title likely to have to wait for at least another season. Beating Leverkusen would be a huge step to securing Champions League football once again, though, with plenty still left to play for this season.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz before the match on January 23, 2021© Reuters

Leverkusen, meanwhile, followed up the superb 2-1 victory over top-four rivals Borussia Dortmund by disappointingly losing 1-0 at home to Wolfsburg last weekend.

Peter Bosz's side pressed well in the early exchanges, with Lucas Alario hitting the post with a header from Moussa Diaby's brilliant inswinging cross, before Florian Wirtz scuffed a decent chance straight into the arms of Koen Casteels.

Leverkusen's profligacy was quickly punished by Ridle Baku, though, with the winger decisively heading past Lukas Hradecky after Renato Steffen's curling cross accurately found his teammate at the back post.

The lack of second-half response would have been a major concern to Bosz, with Daley Sinkgraven's powerful strike from outside of the area the closest his side came to finding an equaliser. The defeat leaves Leverkusen in serious danger of dropping out of the top four if they cannot gain a positive result in Leipzig on Saturday.

RB Leipzig Bundesliga form: DWLDWL
RB Leipzig form (all competitions): WWLDWL

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form: LLDLWL
Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions): LDWLWL


Team News

Tottenham's Eric Dier and Leipzig's Patrik Schick battle for possession in the Champions League in March 2020© Reuters

Leipzig will be without Yussuf Poulsen, Kevin Kampl, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Benjamin Henrichs and Konrad Laimer due to the visit of Leverkusen.

Nagelsmann must decide whether to utilise the presence of Alexander Sorloth in attack or go with the false nine system which worked well earlier in the season.

Leverkusen's injury issues continue to grow, meanwhile, with Lars Bender, Julian Baumgartlinger, Patrik Schick, Mitchell Weiser, Sven Bender, Santiago Arias and Paulinho all out of the trip to Leipzig.

It leaves Bosz with very few selection decisions to make, with Aleksandar Dragovic likely to deputise out of position at right-back again.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulasci; Orban, Upamecano, Halstenberg; Mukiele, Haidara, Sabitzer, Angelino; Olmo, Forsberg; Sorloth

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Dragovic, Tah, Tapsoba, Sinkgraven; Wirtz, Aranguiz, Amiri; Diaby, Alario, Bailey


SM words green background

We say: RB Leipzig 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Both sides have significant injury issues, but Leipzig look to be missing fewer key players and should have enough to secure a narrow victory.

While the title looks a long shot now, Nagelsmann will be expected to comfortably secure a top four position this season, and a win here would go a long way towards achieving that aim.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



ID:432540:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9714:
Written by
Brett Curtis

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a RB Leipzig win with a probability of 37.62%. A win for Bayer Leverkusen had a probability of 37.42% and a draw had a probability of 25%.

The most likely scoreline for a RB Leipzig win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.18%) and 2-0 (5.87%). The likeliest Bayer Leverkusen win was 1-2 (8.36%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.69%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 8.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that RB Leipzig would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: RB Leipzig vs B. Leverkusen

RB Leipzig
65.0%
Draw
19.0%
Bayer Leverkusen
16.0%
100
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Bayer Leverkusen players celebrate Moussa Diaby's goal against Borussia Dortmund on January 19, 2021
Read Next:
European roundup: Leverkusen overcome Dortmund, Sevilla move up to fourth
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayern MunichBayern14103142123033
2Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen1485132201229
3Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt1483334201427
4RB Leipzig148332315827
5Freiburg147342019124
6Stuttgart146532924523
7Mainz 05Mainz146442519622
8Borussia DortmundDortmund146442521422
9Werder Bremen146442224-222
10Wolfsburg146353125621
11Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach146352319421
12Union BerlinUnion Berlin144551315-217
13Augsburg144461627-1116
14Hoffenheim143561926-714
15St Pauli143291119-811
16Heidenheim1431101831-1310
17Holstein Kiel1412111437-235
18VfL BochumVfL Bochum1403111135-243


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!