Rot-weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig Prediction & Betting Tips

Form snapshot: two mixed samples

Leipzig's overall record for the season looks strong on paper, twelve wins from twenty matches with no draws and only eight defeats. But that sample blends Bundesliga games with Champions League football, cup ties and friendlies, so it's not a clean run of league form. Their more recent competitive outings have actually been shakier, with defeats to Como in the Champions League, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen all cropping up among the wins.

Rot-weiss Essen: 20 completed matches; RB Leipzig: 20 completed matches.

Rot-weiss Essen

20 matches

Win

55% 11 / 20

Draw

10% 2 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

43

Conceded

30

Difference

+13

RB Leipzig

20 matches

Win

60% 12 / 20

Draw

0% 0 / 20

Loss

40% 8 / 20

Scored

43

Conceded

30

Difference

+13

Essen's numbers are similar in shape, eleven wins and two draws from twenty matches, with goals for and against almost identical to Leipzig's. Most of that sample comes from third-tier league football, plus a cup run and some friendlies. Their last few league matches have been a mixed bag too, a draw, a loss and a couple of wins, so there's no clear pattern of dominance at home right now.

Neither side arrives with a settled run of results, which makes projecting this tie by form alone tricky.

Comparative Team Statistics: Rot-weiss Essen vs RB Leipzig

Just one meeting between these two

The only previous match between these clubs came in the DFB Pokal in 2024, when Leipzig won 4-1 away at Essen. It's the only recorded head-to-head fixture, so there isn't much of a pattern to lean on.

That game is now over two years old and both squads have changed since then, so it tells us little about how this particular tie will play out.

Cup ties can throw up surprises

This is a knockout match, and Essen get to play it in front of their own supporters. Leipzig have shown they can be got at recently, losing to Como, Werder Bremen and Leverkusen inside their last five outings across competitions. That won't fill their travelling side with total confidence heading into a cup night against lower-league opposition.

Essen, for their part, haven't been world-beaters domestically either, with draws and a defeat cropping up alongside their wins. On a good day at home they can be competitive, but there's nothing in their recent matches to suggest they'll simply roll over.

It's the kind of tie where anything from a routine away win to an upset finish feels plausible.