Red Bull Salzburg will host Basel in the penultimate round of the Europa League group stage on Thursday, 22 January.
Can the hosts stay in the race for the next stage with a win or will Basel end their European dreams?
Find that out and more from our RB Salzburg vs Basel prediction and preview, but remember to also look at our other Europa League predictions.
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RB Salzburg vs Basel prediction: Plenty of goals expected
Key stats
- We saw at least three goals and both teams scoring in two of the previous three meetings between these teams.
- Both teams have scored in five of the last seven Salzburg's games in official matches, while the same is true for six of the last seven competitive games played by Basel.
- Xherdan Shaqiri has three goals and two assists this season in the Europa League.
- Shaqiri has a total of 20 goal contributions in all competitions this season.
Correct score prediction: RB Salzburg 2-2 Basel
Given that this is a duel between two teams separated by just three points in the Europa League standings, we can see it being a close one, especially since the hosts have struggled this season in Europe and they enter this match after they've played their last competitive match more than a month ago.
That being said, Basel haven't been in their best form lately either and a draw certainly sounds like a plausible outcome.
Pre-game odds and win probability: No clear favourites
- HOME: 11/8 (2.38) – 42.10%
- DRAW: 27/10 (3.70) – 27.00%
- AWAY: 17/10 (2.70) – 37.00%
*Odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Looking at these RB Salzburg vs Basel odds, we can see that the bookies expect a tight game, although the hosts are the expected winners by a small margin. Considering their record in the Europa League, this can be seen as a bit of a surprise, although the guests aren't that far ahead of them either.
In any case, if you liked our predictions for this game, remember to also check our betting tips for today.
Most recent H2Hs: No wins for Salzburg yet
These two teams have only met three times before and Basel have won two of those matches, with the third one ending in a draw. That being said, their last meeting was more than a decade ago, in 2014.
RB Salzburg preview: Can they catch the last train for the knockout stage?
With just one win and five losses in the Europa League so far, Salzburg's chances of reaching the next stage are minimal. In fact, they would have to win both of their remaining games and hope to have a few results going their way as well. Overall, it's been a pretty poor showing in Europe for them this season, which is a bit strange considering their performances in the Austrian Bundesliga, where they are firmly in first place in the standings.
Meanwhile, Takumu Kawamura and John Mellberg remain out with injuries, while Petar Ratkov will miss this match to serve a ban.
Predicted lineup: Schlager (GK), Lainer, Gadou, Rasmussen, Terzic, Bidstrup, Diabate, Baidoo, Alajbegovic, Onisiwo & Vertessen
Last five matches
- RB Salzburg 2-0 Red Star Belgrade (Club Friendly)
- Rakow 1-1 RB Salzburg (Club Friendly)
- RB Salzburg 0-5 Bayern Munich (Club Friendly)
- RB Salzburg 2-1 Wolfsberger AC (Austrian Bundesliga)
- Freiburg 1-0 Salzburg (Europa League)
Basel preview: Looking for crucial points
While they were on a good course to reach the knockout stages in the Europa League after winning twice in their first four games, losses to Aston Villa and Genk in the last two rounds of the competition have put Basel outside of the top 24 teams to get out of the group stage. That being said, Basel are just one point behind the last team currently in that zone and with two games left to be played, they could sneak in even with just one win, while winning both would pretty much guarantee them a place in the knockout stage.
When it comes to team news, Basel will likely again be without a few of their important pieces, including Keigo Tsunemoto, Metinho, Philip Otele, and Moritz Broschinski.
Predicted lineup: Hitz (GK), Ruegg, Daniliuc, Adjetey, Schmid, Bacanin, Leroy, Soticek, Shaqiri, Traore & Ajeti
Last five matches
- Basel 1-1 Sion (Swiss Super League)
- Basel 5-6 Elversberg (Club Friendly)
- Slavia Prague 3-4 Basel (Club Friendly)
- Basel 1-1 Servette (Swiss Super League)
- Luzern 1-2 Basel (Swiss Super League)
Player to watch: Xherdan Shaqiri
Basel's captain is having a great season and while it's not great for the Swiss team to not have a striker as their top scorer in the Europa League, it just shows how important Shaqiri is for Basel's gameplay and results.
The experienced winger has three goals and two assists for Basel in the Europa League and overall he has 20 goal contributions for his team this season in all competitions. All in all, everything that Basel does on the offensive end starts and often ends with Shaqiri, so keep an eye on him on Thursday evening.