RB Leipzig host Real Madrid: Head-to-head comparison
Champions League Round of 16 first leg | RBL faces Real Marid | Focus on key players
RB Leipzig vs. Real Madrid
Round of 16, part one!
On Tuesday February 13th, the iconic Champions League anthem will finally be heard again in the RB Arena. At 9 p.m., RB Leipzig will host Real Madrid in their home stadium for the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti's team's only other visit to Leipzig came in October 2022, a game RB Leipzig won over the "Merengues" by a scoreline of 3-2 in the CL group phase.
Both teams now have a few new faces in key areas of the pitch since that last matchup. Xavi and Lois Openda, for example, were not yet wearing the Leipzig jersey at the time, while Jude Bellingham was still playing in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund.
Other key players like Willi Orban like Toni Kroos have already faced off before. We compare the key players and have their most important stats for you!
* All statistics include numbers across all competitions for the respective club as well as in the Champions League this season.
Mohamed Simakan vs. Nacho Fernandez
- Mo Simakan has only missed one competitive game so far this season due to a yellow card suspension, and that alone shows the importance of the Frenchman in coach Marco Rose's squad. The 23-year-old has been playing very consistently in the center of defense or as a right-back and is particularly impressive in tackling and heading the ball.
Overall Stats
- Name: Mohamed Simakan
- Age: 23
- Appearances: 106
- Minutes: 7.682
- Goals: 6
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 6
- Minutes: 509
- Goals: 1
- Duels won: 2
- Ball recoveries: 22
- Yellow cards: 2
- Nacho Fernandez has been part of Real Madrid's first team since 2012. The 34-year-old central defender has since won the Champions League five times and the Spanish championship three times with the club. The Spanish international has also been captain since last summer and, along with Luka Modric, is the longest-serving Real professional.
Overall Stats
- Name: Nacho Fernandez
- Age: 34
- Appearances: 345
- Minutes: 24.386
- Goals: 16
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 6
- Minutes: 436
- Goals: -
- Duels won: 5
- Ball recoveries: 29
- Yellow cards: 1
Xaver Schlager vs. Toni Kroos
- As a traditional number eight in the center of midfield on the eight, Xaver Schlager not only intercepts balls and wins duels, he also has his strengths in counter-pressing. His tireless running makes him valuable in the RBL transition game.
Overall Stats
- Name: Xaver Schlager
- Age: 26
- Appearances: 60
- Minutes: 4.512
- Goals: 2
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 6
- Minutes: 450
- Goals: 1
- Duels won: 6
- Ball recoveries: 31
- Touches: 283
- Passing percentage: 83.3 Percent
- Yellow cards: 1
- Toni Kroos has been setting the pace in midfield in the Spanish capital for almost ten years. Now 33 years old, the former German national team player (106 international caps) is still the brains and leader on the pitch. His passing range is still outstanding, and he remains the most successful German player of all time with 31 trophies.
Overall Stats
- Name: Toni Kroos
- Age: 34
- Appearances: 447
- Minutes: 34.457
- Goals: 28
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 5
- Minutes: 314
- Goals: /
- Duels won: 3
- Ball recoveries: 17
- Touches: 388
- Passing percentage: 97.2 Percent
- Yellow cards: /
Dani Olmo vs. Luka Modric
- After two injuries and a difficult season so far, “El Mago” is on the way back to his electric best. In the last four games, Dani Olmo has slotted right back into the starting line-up as an offensive left winger or right winger. The Spaniard's magic foot can do anything on the ball in either position, and you can see the rhythm coming back more and more.
Overall Stats
- Name: Dani Olmo
- Age: 25
- Appearances: 134
- Minutes: 7.953
- Goals: 27
- Assists: 31
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 1
- Minutes: 15
- Goals: 1
- Assists: -
- Touches: 16
- Dribbles: 1
- Passing percentage: 90%
- The Croatian Luka Modric has been a key part of the Los Blancos squad since 2012. Even in the latter stages of his career as a footballer, the veteran still plays the majority of games in midfield. But there's no doubt: the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is still in a class of his own.
Overall Stats
- Name: Luka Modric
- Age: 38
- Appearances: 514
- Minutes: 37.398
- Goals: 38
- Assists: 83
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 5
- Minutes: 302
- Tore: -
- Assists: -
- Touches: 348
- Dribbles: 3
- Passing percentage: 92.4%
Lois Openda vs. Vinicius Junior
- As of February 4th of this year, Lois Openda has become all-time top-scoring Belgian in a Bundesliga season with 14 goals, achieving that total in only 20 games. Our number 17's lightning quickness, nose for goal, and strong finishing skills, make Lois a threat for any team.
Overall Stats
- Name: Lois Openda
- Age: 23
- Appearances: 29
- Minutes: 2.195
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 4
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 6
- Minutes: 406
- Goals: 4
- Assists: -
- Shots on target: 8
- Dribbles: 10
- Top Speed: 35.7 km/h
- Im Madrider 4-3-3-System wurde Vinicius Junior in den letzten beiden Jahren dank seines Tempos und seiner Dribbelstärke zu einem spektakulärsten Spieler auf dem linken Flügel. Nach dem Abgang von Karim Benzema und dem Zugang von Jude Bellingham stellte Trainer Ancelotti in dieser Spielzeit häufig auf eine Doppelspitze um, so dass der Brasilianer mehr im Zentrum agiert.
- Vinicius Junior developed intp spectacular player on the left wing and a crucial part of Real Madrid's 4-3-3 system over the last two years thanks to his pace and dribbling strength. After the departure of Karim Benzema and the arrival of Jude Bellingham, coach Ancelotti sometimes runs a two-forward system that brings the Brazilian more centrally on the pitch.
Overall Stats
- Name: Vinicius Junior
- Age: 23
- Appearances: 245
- Minutes: 16.911
- Goals: 70
- Assists: 69
Champions League 23/24 Stats
- Appearances: 3
- Minutes: 264
- Goals: 2
- Assists: 2
- Shots on Target: 4
- Dribbles: 15
- Top Speed: 34,71 km/h
