Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
Despite an emotional 3:2 victory over Bayer 04 Leverkusen, RB Leipzig have had a modest start to the season. When visiting Atlético Madrid, the team will act cautiously in the opponent's half—they cannot afford to allow dangerous counterattacks from the opponents.
Atlético Madrid
Revamped Atlético Madrid delivered two spectacular victories over struggling Girona and Valencia (both 3:0), but overall, their scoring efficiency has not significantly improved. The team has only had one match this season where the total over 3.5 was achieved. In Bilbao, against solid Athletic Bilbao (1:0), Atlético Madrid created 1.78 xG but managed only two shots on target—they were fortunate to secure three points thanks to Ángel Correa's late goal.
RB Leipzig
Matches against VfL Bochum 1848 (1:0) and Union Berlin (0:0) highlighted RB Leipzig's leaders' lack of motivation against mid-table teams. In these games, Loïs Openda and Xavi Simons missed numerous opportunities—the Belgian even failed to score from a penalty against Union Berlin. It's also worth noting that in the league, RB Leipzig have only created 3.74 xG—sixth from the bottom, which underscores the quality of their attacking play.
Atlético Madrid vs RB Leipzig Prediction
Between Atlético Madrid and RB Leipzig, they have accumulated six clean sheets in their combined matches this season, and they won't risk throwing everything into the attack at the start of the Champions League. Take the total under and enjoy the quality defensive play.
