RB Leipzig vs Darmstadt 98 Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

The international break was aptly timed for RB Leipzig as the two week hiatus gave the Red Bulls time to regroup following a run of three matches without a win (D1 L2). Leipzig’s 3-0 defeat away to Werder Bremen last time out marked their fourth defeat in seven matches and saw them slip 13 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich – their pursuit of the Bundesliga title is all but over. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men should fancy themselves to bounce back against bottom of the table Darmstadt 98 this Saturday, however.

Only nine matches remain for Darmstadt 98 to make up the 14-point gap between themselves and safety from the relegation zone. Though things look ominous, Torsten Frings’ side have shown they’ll fight to the bitter end for in an attempt to survive. Darmstadt were defeated 1-0 away to Wolfsburg last time out – making it 12 defeats from 12 on the road for the Lilies (100%) – but there were some positives to be had as they covered more ground than in any other match since they were promoted in 2015.

RB Leipzig are the obvious favourites here with bet365, but odds of 1/3 to back the hosts outright are not very appealing. Instead, we feel that backing “both teams to score” at 21/20 is one of the best value bets available here for the following reasons: though Darmstadt have failed to score in all of their last six on the road, this streak has been somewhat “undeserved”. Followers of the Lillies have seen plenty of shots off the woodwork, decent saves and incorrectly denied penalty appeals against them over recent weeks. Even though the results don’t show it, Darmstadt’s performances are on the rise statistically, so expect plenty of men being pushed forward with Darmstadt gaining “nothing” out of a point here. Something that bodes well against a Leipzig side that have kept a clean sheet in just 25% of their matches at home.

Meanwhile, though Leipzig are likely without top scorer Timo Werner (14 goals), wingers Emil Forsberg (7 goals) and Marcel Sabitzer (5 goals) have proven their worth going forward for the Red Bulls – their combined 12 goals represents 70% of the goals Darmstadt have scored all season (17 goals). Leipzig have also only failed to score in 2 of their 12 matches at the Red Bull Arena this season, so given Darmstadt’s poor away form (L12), the hosts should have no trouble finding the back of the net here.

Regarding a correct score bet, while we expect Darmstadt to make the hosts work for a win, Leipzig have proven themselves more than worthy of a spot in the German top tier, especially at home (W9 D1 L2). We can’t see Darmstadt bettering Leipzig on their own turf and, as such, we find a 2-1 RB Leipzig win at 7/1 with bet365 to be a decent shout here.