Champions League: Beating Madrid at Bernabeu looks like mission impossible for Leipzig

RB Leipzig will have to come from a goal behind and beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Record UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid already have a 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg, and they will be confident of getting the job done against RB Leipzig. Meanwhile, the visitors have a tough task of coming from behind and defeating the Spanish giants in their backyard.

The Red Bull Arena played host to the first leg, where Los Blancos came out on top with the slightest of margins as they won 1-0 on the night. While there is a major difference in the quality of both teams, the match was quite evenly contested.

Both teams had equal possession, and they created the same number of chances. Despite having fewer shots on target, Real Madrid came out on top thanks to Brahim Diaz. They now need to ensure they keep a clean sheet to go through to the next round.

Los Blancos are heading into this fixture on the back of a dramatic 2-2 draw against Valencia, where Jude Bellingham was shown a straight red after the final whistle. That result and everything that happened on the pitch after the final whistle will give Real Madrid a boost to get it done against the German club.

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig are heading into this one on the back of a 4-1 win over VfL Bochum. It was a much-needed clinical performance from them, and they will expect more of the same in the fixture against the team in white.

While Real Madrid are the favourite, they do not have a decent enough lead and things could either way. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.

Jude Bellingham, who missed the first leg because of an ankle injury, is available to feature in the second leg. The home team only has three absentees, Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba, who have been on the sidelines for a while now. Courtois and Militao could return to the mix next month.

Real Madrid will once again line up in the 4-4-2 formation, with Andriy Lunin in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will feature as the full-backs. Aurelien Tchouameni will continue as one of the centre-backs alongside Antonio Rudiger.

The back four will look for a clean sheet as it will guarantee their progress to the next round. Eduardo Camavinga will be the defensive midfielder, while Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos will be in support of the Frenchman. Bellingham will continue as the attacking midfielder. And, in attack, it will once again be the dependable partnership of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.