The German Bundesliga returns this week following the winter break, with RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich going head-to-head at Red Bull Arena on Friday night.
With 15 games in the books, Bayern Munich sit at the summit of the Bundesliga table – four points clear of second-place SC Freiburg.
😍👏🥳🎉🔜 @Bundesliga_DE ⚽ #RBLeipzig 🆚 @FCBayern #ThisIsOurFootball pic.twitter.com/u6tKOLZMLx— RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) January 15, 2023
😍👏🥳🎉🔜 @Bundesliga_DE ⚽ #RBLeipzig 🆚 @FCBayern #ThisIsOurFootball pic.twitter.com/u6tKOLZMLx
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig find themselves third – one point inside the Champions League places and six points behind Bayern.
Leipzig chalked up an eight-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga before the World Cup, registering six wins and two draws in the process.
Marco Rose’s side also return from the break on a four-game winning run in the league, having dispatched Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Werder Bremen.
The Red Bulls have been especially strong on home soil in recent times, avoiding defeat in each of their previous 13 home games across all competitions.
It is also worth noting that Leipzig have won each of their last eight home games, although they will struggled to extend that run when Bayern Munich come to town.
Indeed, Bayern find themselves atop the Bundesliga standings after losing just one of their opening 15 league encounters this season.
Like Leipzig, the Bavarians racked up an eight-game unbeaten run in the league before the break – recording seven wins and one draw along the way.
Bayern are the Bundesliga’s top scorers by a considerable margin this term, having netted 49 goals in 15 outings. That means they average 3.3 goals per game in 2022-23.
Given that Julian Nagelsmann’s side have achieved ten successive wins across all competitions, they will be confident of claiming all three points on Friday.
Head-to-head: Leipzig have only managed to win one of their last 15 meetings with Bayern in all competitions, suffering nine defeats in the process.
Bayern have won each of their previous four matches against Leipzig, scoring a total of 13 goals in that time. Needless to say, that is not good news for the Red Bulls.
Team news: RB Leipzig will be without Abdou Diallo, David Raum, Willi Orban, Christopher Nkunku and Peter Gulacsi on Friday.
Bayern have a lengthy injury list, too, with Manuel Neuer, Matthijs de Ligt, Sadio Mane, Bouna Sarr, Lucas Hernandez and Noussair Mazraoui all set to miss the trip to Leipzig.
Sure, Leipzig enjoyed an impressive run of results in the lead-up to the break. But Bayern have more than enough firepower to end Leipzig’s hot streak.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Bayern Munich will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching RB Leipzig on Friday.