The importance of this match will not be lost on Bayer Leverkusen, who were thrashed 0-4 by Liverpool in their previous UEFA Champions League encounter.
Ranked in the mediocre 13th position of the combined table with just 7 points to their name, Xabi Alonso’s side know that they will have to do something to get out of this rut that they have fallen into, and this match against Salzburg will give them an excellent opportunity.
Alonso, who was one of the finest defensive midfielders of his generation, rewrote history books when he led Leverkusen to a Bundesliga and DFB Pokal title run last season.
This time, however, he will be keen on leading his team to success in Europe after losing the Europa League final last year, and his usual three-man backline will have to rise to the occasion against Salzburg’s threatening attackers.
Red Bull Salzburg are an attacking side from Austria, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the defensive challenges put to them by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in this game. Salzburg like to play with three attackers up front, of which Oscar Gloukh, operating on the left wing, has been the most dangerous.
Manager Pepijn Lijnders will have to devise a plan to beat Leverkusen’s tactics in this match, and his three-man attack will have a gala of a time dealing with the home team’s three-man backline.
However, the Austrians have had a horror run in the UEFA Champions League this season, losing three out of their four matches.
As a result, they are ranked in the lowly 30th position of the combined table with just three points. Their morale has hit an incredible low, although their recent 3-1 win over Feyenoord in this competition is bound to afford them some confidence.
Bet hereThere have been just two games recorded between these two teams in the past, out of which Leverkusen have won one and drawn the other.
However, tit is important to note that both these games were friendlies, and that they have not yet played against each other in a competitive fixture.
Leverkusen come into this game with just one win in their last five matches, and this does not bode well for them.
Salzburg, on the other hand, are in much better form, having been unbeaten in four out of their last five encounters.
Manager Lijnders sometimes asks one of their wingers to fall back and join the ranks among their midfielders. This allows one of their fullbacks to create a devastating run up front, distracting and pulling with him one of the opposition defenders and creating room for their strikers to showcase their potential.
However, Leverkusen have a lot of top players in their ranks who know what it takes to perform in high-pressure situations. They are clearly the better side on display here.
Salzburg’s poor run of form in the Champions League will not help their cause much. We expect Bayer Leverkusen to coast to a comfortable win in this game over Salzburg.
We expect to see a total of more than 1.5 goals in this game between Bayer Leverkusen and Red Bull Salzburg. Leverkusen have conceded seven goals in their last five matches, while Salzburg have let past just three in the same period.
However, Salzburg ‘s run in the Champions League has not been ideal this season, and Leverkusen will be keen on exploiting their weaknesses. Manager Alonso gives preference to wingbacks in his team given that he likes to play with a three-man defence, and these players can cause havoc in the Salzburg defence in this match.
Nonetheless, the Spaniard will be hamstrung by the absence of Amine Adli and Nordi Mukiele, among others, due to injury. For Salzburg, Bryan Okoh and Fernando’s absence will give them a huge blow, but they will have to battle on without them. We expect this game to be heavily in favour of the home team Bayer Leverkusen.
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