Salzburg vs Real Madrid: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview
The third and final round of the Group H sees Real Madrid square off against FC Salzburg in an all-European decider for the first place. But there’s a catch. With two draws out of two, Al Hillal is lurking from a close distance, ready to overtake whoever slips on Friday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Real Madrid is in a better position of the two, thanks to a +1 goal difference, and only needs to draw the game to reach the knockouts. On the other hand, Salzburg must chase victory.
A Must-Win for Salzburg
The Austrian runners-up will be kicking themselves for missing an opportunity to book their place in the knockouts early. Having defeated Pachuca 2:1, Thomas Letsch’s men couldn’t find the back of the Al Hillal net and were held off to a well-deserved draw.
If only they had managed to score more in the opener, but they didn’t, and now they have a mountain to climb against Real Madrid. A draw would theoretically still take them to the promised land, but it would require a favour from Pachuca.
Still, however far-fetched an upset against La Liga giants may sound—especially considering Salzburg’s poor record against Spanish sides—their goal-scoring record pairs well with Madrid’s leaky defence. Namely, prior to Al Hillal, Salzburg had found the net in each of their last 16 games, with two or more goals not an uncommon sight.
Salzburg Injury & Suspension News
In the field, Takumu Kawamura and Moussa Yeo will be unavailable for Friday, while GK Alexander Schlager still carries a left wrist injury suffered in the dying minutes of Bundesliga. The 18-year-old Christian Zawieschitzky will once again suit up between the posts.
Real Madrid Not Shining
The start of the Xabi Alonso era at Real Madrid didn’t go down as planned. The heir to Carlo Ancelloti led Los Blancos to a lukewarm draw against Al Hilal on match day one, made all the more tepid by Valverde missing the penalty in the 92nd minute.
The team rounded up for the Pachuca challenge and won 3:1 despite being a man down from the 7th minute on. Thibaut Courtois pulled his weight with ten saves on the day, while Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde all found their scoring boots.
Thus, the five-time winners of the Club World Cup find themselves in a good spot to advance to the last 16 round, where either Juventus or Man City will be waiting.
Real Madrid Injury & Suspension News
The club infirmary is still full with Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy, and Endrick all out. Kylian Mbappe, who missed the first two games on the tour, is a game-time call. Asencio’s red card in the last game means he misses the Salzburg bout.
Salzburg vs Real Madrid Prediction
It’s that time of the tour when big boys step it up and show who’s who in world football. I expect Los Blancos to rally and potentially send the Austrians packing, although not as comfortably as squad sheets might suggest.
Xabi Alonso still has miles to go before his stamp at the club gets realized, and Salzburg is bound to enjoy ball-dominant stretches of the game. Heck, they might even score one or two.
CryptoGamba tip: Both teams to score – 1.67 @ RakeBit
Milos Antic
Sports Betting Expert
Milos is a sports betting professional whose special skill involves sitting through countless hours of football fixtures. He entered the sports betting arena in 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He is that guy who gets stopped and asked for a handy betting tip or two. As an in-house betting expert for CryptoGamba, Milos takes much pride when results go the way he called them while always finding a fitting excuse when they don't.
