Real Madrid vs Red Bull Salzburg: betting odds 23 Jan 2025

The Matchday 7 fixture of 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.

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 their last outing, defeating Atalanta away with a 3-2 scoreline. Prior to this, the Spaniards suffered two consecutive defeats in the Champions League group stage: first losing to AC Milan at home (1-3) and then being outplayed by Liverpool away (0-2). It's worth noting that before the win against the Bergamo side, Carlo Ancelotti's men had failed to score or earn points in two consecutive away matches in this European competition. Real Madrid is currently in 20th place but is 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 Lucas Vazquez is suspended.

• The club has not lost in regular time in 16 of their last 19 Champions League matches (12 wins and 4 draws).
• Both teams have scored in 9 of Real Madrid's last 12 games in this tournament.
• At least two goals have been scored in the second half in 7 of Madrid's last 9 matches in this European competition.

Salzburg

The Austrians come into this match on the back of two consecutive defeats with an aggregate score of 0-8. They first lost away to Bayer Leverkusen (0-5) and were then thrashed at home by PSG (0-3) in the last round. In the current Champions League campaign, the team has suffered five "dry" 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 don't win the upcoming match, they will lose their chances of reaching the tournament's playoffs. It's also worth noting that the club has scored only three goals in the group stage, with only Bologna having a worse record, scoring just one goal.

Midfielders Maurits Kjaergaard and Samson Tijani, forward Karim Konate will miss the game due to injuries.

• At least three goals have been scored in 5 of the Austrians' last 6 games in this European competition.
• Salzburg has won only two of their last 14 away matches in the Champions League (5 draws and 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 only in the middle of the standings but still have a good chance of finishing in the top eight. To achieve this, they need to secure maximum points, which is quite feasible given that they will face the underdog Salzburg and Brest, who are performing well in the Champions League but are struggling in Ligue 1, in the final rounds. It's also important for Madrid to win by a large margin, as goal difference may be taken into account when determining positions in the table.

In my opinion, the Austrians have already resigned themselves to the fact that they won't progress further in the tournament. The team has scored in only one match in the group stage, with 4 out of 6 games ending in heavy defeats. Even Sparta Prague defeated Salzburg with a 3-0 scoreline, and modest Dinamo Zagreb won against the Austrians on their turf by two goals (2-0). Meanwhile, Madrid has defeated Borussia Dortmund (5-2) and Stuttgart (3-1) at home in this Champions League campaign, and these opponents are significantly stronger than Salzburg.

My prediction – Real Madrid with a handicap (-2.5)