RB Leipzig vs Sporting CP

Red Bull Arena forms the backdrop for an exciting UEFA Champions League showdown between RB Leipzig and Sporting CP.

There’s nothing but pride left to play for Leipzig after they lost all six Champions League fixtures this season despite scoring the opening goal in three. Losing despite drawing first blood here would see ‘Die Roten Bullen’ become the first team in UCL history to do so in four matches during a single campaign. However, Marco Rose’s men have proved prone to wasting the lead, failing to beat Bundesliga minnows Bochum at the weekend after going 3-0 up in the first half (3-3). On the bright side, they’ve gone unbeaten in both previous home encounters against Portuguese visitors (W1, D1). They’ll look to preserve that record in their first-ever meeting with Sporting and halt an underwhelming four-game losing home run at Europe’s top table. 

In the meantime, Sporting’s form has dipped after head coach Ruben Amorim left the club to join Manchester United. But they’re seemingly back on track, beating Rio Ave 3-0 last weekend to remain the Primeira Liga leaders. New manager Rui Borges gears up for his touchline debut in the Champions League, with Sporting languishing just outside the top 16 after winning half of their league-phase games (W3, D1, L2). Interestingly, Sporting’s second-to-last UCL away victory came against Leipzig’s domestic rivals, Eintracht Frankfurt, in September 2022. However, they’ve since only won one of their five road matches in this competition (D2, L2). That win against Frankfurt remains Sporting’s only success across 15 historical visits to German clubs in Europe (D1, L13), highlighting the size of the task awaiting them this midweek.