The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League 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 – Dorgeles Nene, Petar Ratkov, Moussa Kounfolo Yeo.
Real Madrid
The Madrid side secured an important victory in the last round, defeating Atalanta 3-2 away. Before that, the Spaniards suffered two consecutive defeats in the Champions League group stage: first losing to Milan at home (1-3), and then being outplayed by Liverpool away (0-2). It's also worth noting that before the win against Atalanta, Carlo Ancelotti's team failed to score and earn points in two consecutive away matches in this European competition. Real Madrid sits in 20th place, but they are only two points away from the 25th position.
Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, defenders Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao will miss this match due to injuries, while 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 have scored in 9 of Real Madrid's last 12 matches in this tournament.
- At least two goals have been scored in the second half in 7 of Real Madrid's last 9 matches in this European competition.
Salzburg
The Austrian side approaches the upcoming match with two consecutive defeats, with a total score of 0-8. First, they were defeated by Bayer away (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 "clean sheet" defeats and only managed to win an away match against Feyenoord (3-1). Salzburg sits in 31st place with three points, and if they do not win the upcoming match, they will say goodbye to their chances of reaching the tournament's playoffs. It should also be noted that the club has only scored three goals in the group stage, with only Bologna having a worse record, scoring just one goal.
Midfielders Maurits Kjaergaard, defender Daouda Guindo, forwards Karim Onisiwo and Karim Konate will miss the game due to injuries. It's worth noting that this will be Thomas Lech's first official game as head coach of the Austrian club.
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of Salzburg's last 6 matches in this European competition.
- Salzburg has won only two of their last 14 away matches in the Champions League (5 draws, 7 losses).
- The team has scored only one goal in the first half in their last six matches in this tournament.
Real Madrid vs. Salzburg: Match Prediction
The Spaniards are currently in the middle of the table but still have a good chance of finishing in the top eight. To achieve this, they need to collect maximum 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. It's also crucial for Madrid to win by a large margin, as goal difference may be considered when determining table positions.
In my opinion, the Austrians have already come to terms with the fact that they will not advance further in the tournament. The team has only scored in one match during the group stage, with 4 out of 6 matches ending in heavy defeats. Recall that even Sparta Prague defeated Salzburg with a resounding 3-0 score, and modest Dinamo Zagreb won against the Austrians by two goals on their home turf (2-0). Meanwhile, Madrid has defeated Borussia Dortmund (5-2) and Stuttgart (3-1) at home in the current Champions League, both of which are significantly stronger opponents than Salzburg.
My prediction – Real Madrid to win with a handicap (-2.5)
