RB Leipzig vs Liverpool live stream, prediction, team news, UCL Round of 16 preview

Julian Nagelsmann's RB Leipzig will square off against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at the Puskas Stadium in Budapest on Tuesday, February 16. The first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie is scheduled to commence at 9:00 PM local time (Wednesday, February 17 at 1:30 AM IST). Here's a look at the RB Leipzig vs Liverpool team news, live stream details and our prediction ahead of the highly-anticipated encounter. 

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RB Leipzig vs Liverpool game preview

RB Leipzig booked their spot in the UCL Round of 16 with a 3-2 triumph over Manchester United on Matchday 6 of the group stages. However, Julian Nagelsmann's men conceded 12 goals during the group stages, which was most among all teams in the competition. Strangely enough, Leipzig have the best defensive record in the Bundesliga and are second in the standings, just five points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have won just five of their 15 games across all competitions since their final UCL group game, losing six times including each of their last three outings. The Reds finished at the top of their group in the UCL and suffered just one defeat on their way to the last-16. However, the defending English champions have fallen 13 points behind Man City, having played a game more than the league leaders. 

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RB Leipzig vs Liverpool team news, injuries and suspensions

Emil Forsberg, Konrad Laimer, Benjamin Henrichs and Dominik Szoboszlai are all unavailable for RB Leipzig. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is likely to face his former club. The Hungarian shot-stopper spent five years at Liverpool without making a single appearance for the Reds. Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate are expected to start in the heart of the Leipzig defence. 

For Liverpool, Diogo Jota, Naby Keita, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are all ruled out of the first leg. There are also doubts over Divock Origi, Ben Davies, Fabinho and James Milner. However, Klopp is expected to keep his faith in Alisson Becker despite another blunder by the goalkeeper at the weekend. 

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RB Leipzig vs Liverpool prediction 

The first competitive meeting between the two sides will be held at a neutral venue due to coronavirus restrictions. Liverpool will be looking to take advantage of Leipzig's lack of a home fixture in the two-legged tie. Our prediction for the game is a 2-1 win for the Reds. 

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UCL live: Where to watch RB Leipzig vs Liverpool live? 

In India, the game will broadcast live on Sony Ten 1/HD. The RB Leipzig vs Liverpool live stream will be available on SonyLIV. Live scores and updates will be available on the Twitter handles of both teams. 

Image Credits - RB Leipzig, Liverpool Instagram