The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Real Madrid (Spain) and Salzburg (Austria) will take place on January 22 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Real Madrid vs. Salzburg: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 19;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 33%.
Predicted lineups for Real Madrid vs. Salzburg
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois – Fran Garcia, Raul Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Antonio Rudiger – Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos – Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes – Kylian Mbappe.
Salzburg (4-3-3): Alexander Schlager – Daouda Guindo, Samson Baidoo, Amar Dedic, Nicolas Capaldo – Oscar Gloukh, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Mads Bidstrup – Dorjeles Nene, Petar Ratkov, Moussa Kounfolo Yeo.
Real Madrid
The Madrid side secured an important victory in the last round by defeating Atalanta away with a score of 3-2. Before that, the Spaniards lost two consecutive group stage matches in the Champions League: first losing at home to AC Milan (1-3), and then being defeated away by Liverpool (0-2). It's worth noting that before their victory over Atalanta, Carlo Ancelotti's team failed to score or earn points in two consecutive away matches in this European competition. Real Madrid is currently in 20th place, but only two points separate them from the 25th position.
Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, defenders Daniel Carvajal and Eder Militao will miss this match due to injuries, and forward Lucas Vazquez is suspended.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 16 of their last 19 Champions League matches (12 wins, 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 9 of Real Madrid's last 12 matches in this tournament.
- At least two goals were scored in the second half in 7 of the last 9 matches for Madrid in this European competition.
Salzburg
The Austrians approach the upcoming match with two consecutive defeats, with an aggregate score of 0-8. First, they were beaten away by Bayer Leverkusen (0-5), and in the last round, the club was thrashed at home by PSG (0-3). In the current Champions League, the team has suffered five goalless defeats and managed to win only in an away match against Feyenoord (3-1). Salzburg is in 31st place with three points, and if they do not win the upcoming match, they will bid farewell to their chances of reaching the tournament's playoffs. It is also worth noting that the club has only scored three goals in the group stage, with only Bologna having a worse record, having scored just one goal.
Midfielders Maurits Kjaergaard and Samson Tijani, forward Karim Konate will miss the game due to injuries. Notably, this will be Thomas Lech's first official game as the head coach of the Austrian club.
- At least three goals were scored in 5 of the last 6 matches for the Austrians in this European competition.
- Salzburg has only won two of their last 14 away matches in the Champions League (5 draws, 7 losses).
- The team scored only one goal in the first half of their last six matches in this tournament.
Real Madrid vs. Salzburg: Match Prediction
The Spaniards are currently in the middle of the standings, yet they still have a good chance to finish even in the top eight. To achieve this, they need to maximize their points, which is quite feasible considering they will face the underdog Salzburg and Brest, who perform well in the Champions League but are struggling in Ligue 1, in the final rounds. Additionally, it will be important for Madrid to win by a large margin, as goal difference may be considered when determining positions in the table.
The Austrians, in my opinion, have already accepted that they will not progress further in the tournament. The team has only scored in one group stage match, with 4 out of 6 matches ending in heavy defeats. Remember, even Prague's Sparta defeated Salzburg with a resounding score of 3-0, and modest Dinamo Zagreb won against the Austrians on their field by two goals (2-0). Madrid, meanwhile, in the current Champions League, defeated Borussia Dortmund (5-2) and Stuttgart (3-1) at home, and these opponents are significantly stronger than Salzburg.
My prediction – Real Madrid with a handicap (-2.5)
