RB Leipzig Now Odds-On Favorites to Win Champions League Group G
By John Dillon in Soccer News
Updated: January 4, 2023 at 6:24 am ESTPublished:
- German Bundesliga leaders scored crucial away win at Benfica
- Rivals Lyon held to a draw by Zenit St. Petersburg
- Striker Werner continues in rich run of goal-scoring form for Red Bull
Red Bull Leipzig have made a flying start to the new season both in the Champions League and the Bundesliga as they continue succeeding in the latest phase of establishing themselves as a major force in Germany.
They opened their campaign in the UCL’s Group G with a critical 2-1 away win at Benfica while also sitting on top of the table in Germany after four fixtures.
UCL 2019-20 Group G Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Red Bull Leipzig | -150 |
| Lyon | +350 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | +500 |
| Benfica | +800 |
*Odds taken at 2019/09/20
In an evenly-matched UCL section which also includes Lyon and Zenit St. Petersburg, Red Bull’s odds to win the group shifted to -150.
It made them firmer favorites, with the three away points already looking crucial.
Portuguese champions Benfica, meanwhile, shifted out widely to become outsiders +800 to finish top among the four teams.
Impressive Domestic Results
Leipzig’s domestic results have been encouraging and have included a 1-1 draw at home with champions Bayern Munich and a 3-1 win away against last season’s fifth-placed team Borussia Mönchengladbach.
They also beat last season’s seventh-placed side Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at home.
Leipzig had been priced slightly ahead +200 in August before the opening round of fixtures with Benfica and Lyon at +225. Back then, Zenit were outsiders at +500.
We’re delighted to announce Maxwel Cornet has extended his contract with #TeamOL for two more seasons until 30 June 2023!
🔴🔵 #UnispourRugir #Cornet2023 pic.twitter.com/PL80CvKXhJ
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) September 19, 2019
However, despite a big shortening of Red Bull’s price for winning the competition outright from +8000 to +5000, their Champions League odds are still correctly very wide for a triumph at the final in Istanbul next May.
German international striker Timo Werner scored both goals in Red Bull’s win in Lisbon.
That would be a huge upset to the balance of power in European football. It won’t happen this season. Don’t rule it out in years to come, though.
German international striker Timo Werner scored both goals in Red Bull’s win in Lisbon.
He scored seven times in the opening six fixtures in all competitions in the new campaign to underline his team’s bouyant mood.
His Danish forward partner Youssuf Poulsen has also been hailed for his form this season, although he has scored only once.
After Lyon’s 1-1 draw at home to Zenit, the French club are now priced at +350 with the Russians remaining at +500.
Russian star re-signs for Zenit the day after being released from prison earlyhttps://t.co/qXJvB2K5KT
— The Sun Football âš½ (@TheSunFootball) September 19, 2019
Slump in Ligue1
After winning their opening two Ligue1 matches impressively against Monaco and Angers, Lyon have stuttered and were eighth after five fixtures.
Things changed in a 1-0 defeat at Montpellier and they have subsequently drawn 1-1 at home with Bordeaux and 2-2 at Amiens.
Benfica were second in Portugal’s Primeira Liga after five games. They had won four times without conceding a goal with the only defeat away against Porto, 2-0.
Zenit secured impressive away wins at Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Moscow .
The St. Petersburg club were second in the table in Russia after nine fixtures.
They had secured impressive away wins at Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Moscow and lost just once against ninth-placed Ufa while drawing twice.
Red Bull are at home against Lyon in the next round of UCL games on October 2 at Red Bull Arena, at 3:00 pm EST.
Benfica play away against Zenit on October 2 in St. Petersburg Stadium at 3:00 pm EST.
Pick: Red Bull Lepizig -150
Sports Writer
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
