Leipzig vs Real Madrid match facts

Leipzig and Real Madrid renew acquaintances in the UEFA Champions League as they meet for the second successive campaign, the German side looking for a repeat of last season's home group win against the Spanish team in the opening installment of their round of 16 tie.

Marco Rose's Leipzig qualified for the competition's knockout rounds for the fourth time in five seasons – and overall – by finishing second behind Manchester City in Group G, losing home and away against the holders but winning their other four fixtures.

Madrid, meanwhile – who have featured in the round of 16 every season since the format was introduced in 2003/04 – became only the second team, after Bayern München last season, to win all six Champions League group games for the third time. Carlo Ancelotti's side finished eight points clear of Italian champions Napoli in Group C.

While Leipzig have won only one of their previous three round of 16 ties, Madrid have been victorious in 11 of their last 13 contests at this stage.

Previous meetings

The teams' first fixtures came in last season's group stage, Federico Valverde (80) and Marco Asensio (90+1) scoring late goals to give Madrid a 2-0 home win on Matchday 2.

Leipzig turned the tables in Germany on Matchday 5, early goals from Joško Gvardiol (13) and Christopher Nkunku (18) putting them in control despite Vinícius Júnior halving their lead a minute before half-time. Timo Werner's 81st-minute effort restored the home side's two-goal advantage and Leipzig held out despite Rodrygo making it 3-2 from the penalty spot three minutes into added time.

Madrid nevertheless finished first in Group G on 13 points, one more than second-placed Leipzig.

Form guide

Leipzig

Record vs Spanish clubs: W3 D1 L1 F10 A8
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W1 D1 

This is only Leipzig's third home game against Spanish visitors. Before beating Madrid last season they had drawn 2-2 against Real Sociedad in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off first leg.

Leipzig went on to win that tie 5-3 on aggregate following a 3-1 second-leg win in Spain and were also victorious in their only other knockout tie against Liga opponents, beating Madrid's neighbours Atlético 2-1 in the one-off Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon on 13 August 2020.

The German club's round of 16 record is W1 L2, all three of those ties coming against English clubs. In 2019/20 they beat Tottenham 1-0 away and 3-0 at home but lost 2-0 home and away to Liverpool a year later with both games played in Budapest and went out against Manchester City in 2022/23.

This is Leipzig's sixth Champions League campaign, all since 2017/18, and a fifth in a row.

Semi-finalists in 2019/20, the German club have now reached the knockout rounds in four of their last five campaigns, including 2022/23.

Last season Rose's team finished second in Group F behind holders Real Madrid before being eliminated by City in the round of 16 (1-1 h, 0-7 a) – the latter their heaviest European defeat.

In 2023/24 Leipzig kicked off with the 3-1 win at Young Boys before losing at home to Manchester City by the same score. They then overcame Crvena zvezda 3-1 at home and 2-1 away only for their hopes of finishing first to be ended in Manchester on Matchday 5 as City came from two down to win 3-2, although Leipzig did round off their campaign with a win, 2-1 at home to Young Boys.

This season's loss to City on Matchday 2 is one of only three in the German team's last 19 European games at their own stadium (W11 D5).

This is only Leipzig's seventh season of European football. They became the first club to make their continental debut in the Champions League group stage in September 2017.

In addition to reaching the last four of the Champions League in 2020 – beating Atlético in the quarter-finals after overcoming Tottenham in the round of 16 before losing 3-0 in a one-off tie against Paris Saint-Germain – Leipzig were also Europa League semi-finalists in 2021/22.

Rose's charges were third in the Bundesliga in 2022/23, Leipzig's fifth successive top-four finish and a sixth in seven years since being promoted to the German top flight for the first time in 2016.

Real Madrid

Record against German clubs: W39 D14 L24 F147 A117
Away record against German clubs: W8 D8 L20

Madrid were paired with Leipzig's domestic rivals Union Berlin in this season's group stage, Jude Bellingham scoring in the 94th-minute to secure a 1-0 home win on Matchday 1 before Dani Ceballos struck in the 89th minute of a 3-2 victory in Germany on Matchday 6.

Last season's loss at Leipzig is Madrid's only defeat in their last 16 matches against Bundesliga clubs, home and away (W11 D4).

The Spanish side have recorded seven of their overall eight away victories against German clubs in their last 12 games (D2 L3).

This is Madrid's first knockout tie against a Bundesliga club since the 2017/18 semi-finals, when they beat Bayern München 4-3 on aggregate (2-1 a, 2-2 h).

Madrid's record in two-legged ties with German clubs in UEFA competition is now W18 L8. They have won each of their last eight ties against German opposition, scoring 35 goals in the process; their last defeat came against Dortmund in the 2012/13 semi-finals (1-4 a, 2-0 h).

Having reached the semi-finals or better for eight successive seasons between 2010/11 and 2017/18, Madrid lost in the last 16 against Ajax in 2018/19 (3-5 aggregate) and Manchester City the following season (2-4) but have won the last three ties, making their overall record at this stage W12 L8.

This is Madrid's 28th Champions League campaign, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They last missed out in 1996/97.

Madrid have now qualified for the knockout rounds in all 28 campaigns and have won their section 20 times including each of the last four.

Having claimed the club's 14th European Cup – and eighth Champions League, also a competition record – in 2021/22, Ancelotti's side then finished first in their section last season, winning four of their six games (D1 L1) before beating Liverpool in the round of 16 (5-2 a, 1-0 h). That set up a second successive quarter-final against Chelsea, Madrid winning 2-0 home and away, before a repeat of their 2021/22 semi-final against Manchester City, which this time went in the English side's favour (1-1 h, 0-4 a).

That 4-0 loss in Manchester equalled Madrid's biggest European defeat.

This season, after seeing off Union Berlin on Matchday 1 with a late Bellingham strike, Ancelotti's side have beaten both Napoli (3-2 a, 4-2 h) and Braga (2-1 a, 3-0 h) twice. They made it six wins from six – matching their feat in 2011/12 and 2014/15 – with a 3-2 victory at Union thanks to an 89th-minute Ceballos goal.

Madrid have nevertheless lost eight of their last 26 Champions League away games, winning ten. They have been beaten in four of the last 12.

The Merengues ceded the Spanish title to Barcelona, finishing ten points behind their great rivals in the Liga standings.

Links and trivia

Ancelotti was in charge of Bayern between 2016 and 2018, winning the Bundesliga title in 2016/17.

Ancelotti and Rose have come up against each other four times, with two wins apiece. Before last season's games between Leipzig and Madrid, the pair had crossed paths in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 16, Ancelotti's Napoli beating a Salzburg side coached by Rose 4-3 on aggregate (3-0 h, 1-3 a).

Rose was in charge of the Borussia Mönchengladbach side that drew 2-2 at home and lost 2-0 away against Madrid in the 2020/21 Champions League group stage.

Ancelotti won both matches against Leipzig as Bayern coach, the second a 5-4 away victory on 13 May 2017, the final day of the Bundesliga season. Yussuf Poulsen was on target for the home and Emil Forsberg provided three assists; David Alaba was among the Bayern scorers as his side struck three times from the 84th minute onwards to snatch three points.

Eljif Elmas, who joined Leipzig in the January transfer window from Napoli, played in home (2-3) and away (2-4) defeats against Madrid in this season's group stage.

Capped 106 times by Germany, Toni Kroos was a first-team player at Bayern between 2007 and 2014, scoring 25 goals in 205 games in all competitions for the club. He won three Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals and, in 2013, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the Munich side.

Kroos spent the second half of 2008/09 and the whole of the following season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.

Alaba was a Bayern player from 2009 to 2021, when he joined Madrid. He appeared in the Champions League final wins in 2013 and 2020, when he also won the Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, and also won ten Bundesliga titles and six DFB-Pokals with Bayern.

Alaba's record against Leipzig with Bayern was W6 D4 L1, one of those wins coming in the 2018/19 DFB-Pokal final (3-0).

Have also played in Germany:
Dani Carvajal (Bayer Leverkusen 2012/13)
Antonio Rüdiger (Stuttgart 2011–15)
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund 2020–23)
Joselu (Hoffenheim 2012/13, Eintracht Frankfurt 2013/14 loan, Hannover 2014/15)

Bellingham's record against Leipzig with Dortmund was W2 L4.

Joselu was born in Stuttgart and lived in Germany until the age of four, when his family returned to Spain.

Dani Olmo came through the youth academy at Barcelona before joining Dinamo Zagreb – the club where Luka Modrić had come through the ranks – in 2014.

Olmo was born in Terrassa in Spain.

International team-mates:
David Raum, Lukas Klostermann, Benjamin Henrichs & Antonio Rüdiger (Germany)
Christoph Baumgartner, Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald & David Alaba (Austria)
Dani Olmo & Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dani Carvajal, Fran García, Nacho, Dani Ceballos, Joselu (Spain)
Loïs Openda & Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Castello Lukeba & Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ferland Mendy (France)

Baumgartner scored in Austria's 2-0 friendly win against Rüdiger's Germany on 21 November.

Modrić was on target in Croatia's 3-1 win against Xaver Schlager's Austria in the UEFA Nations League on 25 September.

Modrić also converted an extra-time penalty as Croatia beat the Netherlands, for whom Xavi Simons had started, 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals on 14 June 2023.

Henrichs provided an assist in Germany's 2-1 friendly win against a France side including Tchouaméni and Camavinga on 12 September. Rüdiger also featured for Germany.

Olmo and Ceballos were team-mates in the Spain side that won the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, beating a Germany side that featured Henrichs and Klostermann 2-1 in the final.

Latest news

Leipzig 

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Eljif Elmas, Leopold Zingerle
Out: Emil Forsberg, Lennart Johanns, Tino Kaufmann, Fabio Carvalho, Timo Werner

Leipzig's Bundesliga record since Matchday 6 is W2 D2 L3. They drew 2-2 at Augsburg on Saturday with Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško both on target.

Openda and Šeško have scored one goal apiece in each of Leipzig's last three games.

Marco Rose's team started the new year with three league defeats before returning to winning ways with a 2-0 home success against Union Berlin on 4 February.

On 13 January Leipzig lost 1-0 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt before going down 3-2 to Leverkusen, also at home, a week later. On 27 January they were beaten 5-2 in Stuttgart.

Openda, who has scored in five of Leipzig's last six league games, has 15 goals in his first 21 league matches for the club.

Amadou Haidara missed Saturday's draw with a swollen knee suffered on duty with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he made four appearances.

Willi Orbán came on as a late substitute in Stuttgart, his first appearance since suffering a knee injury playing for Hungary on 10 September. He started on Saturday.

Dani Olmo, who had not played since the end of October because of a shoulder injury, returned as a substitute against Frankfurt and has started the last four games.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who missed the majority of the first half of the season because of a knee injury, made his debut for Leipzig as a late substitute against Union.

Goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi played 90 minutes against Union, his first Bundesliga appearance since 1 October 2022 due to a knee injury. He was also in the team on Saturday.

On 11 January Lukas Klostermann signed a new contract until 2028.

Real Madrid

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: None
Out: None

Madrid have won ten of their 12 games in all competitions since Matchday 6, losing only one.

On Saturday they strengthened their position at the top of La Liga with a 4-0 victory at home to second-place Girona, taking them five points clear at the top.

Jude Bellingham scored twice, making it 16 goals in La Liga this season – a Madrid club record for a midfielder in the 21st century, surpassing the 13 of James Rodríguez in 2014/15.

Bellingham has 20 goals in 29 games in all competitions this season. In the Champions League, he has scored four goals and provided three assists in five games.

Vinícius Júnior gave Madrid an early lead and also set up two more goals, making it seven goals and three assists in his last six games.

Rodrygo completed the scoring with his eighth La Liga goal of the campaign – one short of his total for the whole of last season, his most prolific for Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have won 28 of their 34 matches this season, losing only two – both against Atlético de Madrid.

A 4-2 extra-time loss at Atlético in the Copa del Rey fourth round on 18 January ended Madrid's seven-game winning streak in all competitions. It is also their only defeat in their last 27 games (W22 D4).

Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup for the 13th time on 14 January, beating Barcelona 4-1 in the final with Vinícius Júnior scoring a hat-trick. They had overcome Atlético 5-3 in extra time in the semi-finals.

The Merengues were unable to overcome Atlético in their second La Liga meeting of the season, however, a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu on 4 February.

On 1 February Madrid had beaten Getafe 2-0 in La Liga thanks to two goals from Joselu.

The Spanish forward, who missed an added-time penalty on Saturday, has scored seven times in La Liga, three in the Champions League and two in Copa del Rey this season. Those 12 goals make him the team's third top scorer this season, one behind with Rodrygo and eight adrift of Bellingham.

In La Liga, Bellingham scored 14 goals in the first half of the season – two more than he managed in total in three seasons at Borussia Dortmund.

Vinícius Júnior has 12 goals in 20 games in all competitions this season, five of those goals in January.

Bellingham was taken off early in the second half on Saturday having sprained his left ankle and has not been included in the squad to face Leipzig.

Antonio Rüdiger suffered a knock to his knee against Getafe on 1 February and has not played since.

Nacho missed Saturday's win with a muscle injury.

Éder Militão suffered a cruciate ligament tear in his left knee in a 2-0 win at Athletic Club on the opening weekend of the season on 12 August. Ancelotti said in early February that he is expected to return in late March or early April.

Thibaut Courtois ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training in early August and has not played since.

David Alaba also suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee in a 4-1 La Liga win against Villarreal on 17 December.

Arda Güler, who was signed in the summer from Fenerbahçe, was hampered by injury during the first half of the season and had to wait until 6 January to make his Madrid debut, in a 3-1 Copa del Rey win at Arandina. On 27 January he took his La Liga bow as a late substitute in a 2-1 victory at Las Palmas.

On 29 December Ancelotti signed a new contract, keeping him at Madrid until 2026.

Militão has also extended his contract, until 2028.