Real Madrid will look to make it three consecutive wins in the 2026-27 Champions League when they host RB Leipzig at the Santiago-Bernabeu on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.

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 leave them eighth in the overall standings.

Leipzig have three points from their opening two matches. They lost 4-1 to Como before responding with a 1-0 win against PSV Eindhoven, placing them 21st in the table.

Real Madrid arrive in stronger domestic form, having beaten FC Sevilla 4-1 for a third successive victory. That result moved Jose Mourinho’s side up to third in La Liga on 21 points, six behind leaders FC Barcelona, who have made an exceptional start to the campaign.

Madrid finished 11th in last season’s Champions League league phase but progressed to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich. Further improvement is expected this time.

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

Leipzig’s most recent Champions League league-phase campaign, in 2024-25, ended disappointingly as they finished 32nd after losing seven of their eight matches. They have, however, already shown they can trouble Madrid: after a 2-0 defeat in September 2022, they won the return fixture 3-2 in October that year.

The Bundesliga side have gone three matches without beating Spanish opposition, most recently losing 2-1 to Atletico de Madrid in 2024-25. Martin Demichelis’ team also suffered a heavy setback at the weekend, going down 6-1 to Bayern Munich and dropping to seventh in the Bundesliga with nine points.

Madrid’s Champions League form is V, V, while their record in all competitions 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 Madrid. Vinicius Junior is eligible to return because his suspension applies only to domestic competitions 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, who has scored 11 goals in 11 appearances this season, is set to lead the attack.

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 operate in an attacking role. Christopher Nkunku, with four goals and two assists this season, and Romulo, who has scored once in five appearances in 2026-27, are also likely to start.

Recommended bets: Real Madrid to win 3-1 at 8.25; Real Madrid to win and Kylian Mbappe to score at 1.52; Vinicius Junior to score at 2.12.

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

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

Real Madrid’s recent form suggests Mourinho’s side should have too much quality for their German opponents.