RB Leipzig vs Juventus Prediction: 2/10/2024

At the end of last season, Atlético Madrid finished strong with five wins in their last six matches, securing 4th place in La Liga, which earned them a spot in the Champions League. Last season in the Champions League, their journey ended in the quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund, who went on to reach the final.

Despite that, Atlético managed to knock out Inter Milan in the round of 16. In the current season, Diego Simeone’s team remains unbeaten in La Liga. While they drew 2-2 with Villarreal and 0-0 with Espanyol, they claimed dominant victories over Girona (3-0), Athletic Bilbao (1-0 away), and most recently Valencia (3-0), which has placed them 2nd in the standings.

RB Leipzig, on the other hand, had a tough Champions League draw last season, facing Real Madrid in the round of 16, where they were eliminated. However, like Atlético, Leipzig ended their domestic campaign on a high, finishing 4th and securing Champions League qualification again.

They began the new season with an easy win in the German Cup, beating Essen 4-1, and followed it up with two Bundesliga victories, defeating Bochum 1-0 and Leverkusen 3-2. However, they hit their first bump in the road when they drew 0-0 with Union Berlin last weekend.

For Atlético Madrid, Antoine Griezmann has started the season well, scoring twice and providing two assists. He will likely start in midfield alongside Marcos Llorente, with Julian Alvarez also getting on the scoresheet recently. Notable absentees for Atlético include midfielder Barrios and Thomas Lemar, who is still dealing with injury issues.

The club has been highly active in the transfer market, bringing in big names like Julian Alvarez from Manchester City (€90 million), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Clément Lenglet (on loan from Barcelona), and Alexander Sörloth, who was Villarreal’s second-highest scorer last season. Meanwhile, key departures include Alvaro Morata (AC Milan), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Stefan Savic (Trabzonspor), and Saul Niguez (on loan to Sevilla).

RB Leipzig has faced its own squad changes, with key midfielder Dani Olmo (4 goals, 5 assists last season) and Mohamed Simakan both leaving, with Simakan moving to Al-Nassr. However, they have reinvested in talent, bringing in players like Vermeeren (on loan from Atlético), Geertruida (Feyenoord), Nusa (Club Brugge), and goalkeeper Vandevoort (Genk). The team has retained important figures like Xavi Simons (8 goals, 11 assists last season) and Loïs Openda (24 goals, 7 assists), who scored two goals in their match against Bayer Leverkusen.

 

Prediction

Juventus looks set to gain promotion by the end of the season, and with 10 of their last 14 matches seeing fewer than 2.5 goals, it’s clear they’ve had to fight for every point. RB Leipzig has shown similar numbers, with 11 of their last 15 games at this level also producing under 2.5 goals.

Prediction: RB Leipzig 1 : 0 Juventus