'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
RB Leipzig will host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday night in their UEFA Champions League opener.
The hosts have endured a sluggish start to their campaign, kicking off with a 5-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. They closed out August with back-to-back wins before losing 4-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. They will now hope for better luck on the European stage.
Leipzig opened their continental campaign last season with a 6-3 defeat against Manchester City and eventually exited the tournament after finishing third in their group.
Shakhtar, meanwhile, endured a poor pre-season, winning just one of their six friendlies. They have, however, begun their league campaign in strong form, playing out a goalless draw against Metalist 1925 before picking up 1-0 wins over Kryvbas Kryvyi and Rukh Lviv.
The visitors endured a poor group stage run in the competition last season, finishing rock-bottom in their group after failing to win any of their six games.
RB Leipzig vs Shakhtar Donetsk Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Tuesday's game will mark the first meeting between Leipzig and Shakhtar.
- The hosts have played just two games against Ukrainian opposition and are unbeaten in both outings.
- Shakhtar have won just a third of their 24 matchups against German opponents. They have lost nine of those games and drawn the other seven.
- Die Roten Bullen have lost just two competitive games at home in 2022.
- The Ukrainian club have kept clean sheets in their last three games.
- Leipzig have scored at least one goal in all but one of their 16 competitive outings at the Red Bull Arena this year.
RB Leipzig vs Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction
The Red Bulls' latest result saw their two-game winning run end in their last outing, which was their sixth in their last eight games across competitions. They are unbeaten in their last two games at home and will look to extend that streak.
Shakhtar, meanwhile, are on a three-game unbeaten run. They have, however, missed out on competitive action for quite some time and could lose here due to rustiness.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
RB Leipzig vs Shakhtar Donetsk Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Leipzig
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Four of the hosts' last five games have produced more than 2.5 goals.)
Tip 3 - Shakhtar Donetsk to score first: Yes (The visitors have scored the first goal in four of their last five games.)
