Our prediction for this Champions League match:
After shocking Benfica in Lisbon in their opener, Salzburg will look to retain top position in Group D when they take on Real Sociedad on Tuesday evening. The Red Bulls rolled over Austria Lustenau 4-0 in their last league match, meaning that they are high on confidence ahead of the visit of La Real. Both Guindo and Omoregie are sidelined with injuries, while all Diambou, Fernando, Okoh, and Wallner are major doubts.
Imanol Alguacil’s troops, on the other hand, outclassed Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the Basque derby, but beating Salzburg at Red Bull Arena is easier said than done. Taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. Kieran Tierney has joined Martin Merquelanz in the recovery room, while both Le Normand and Odriozola are major doubts, speaking of the visiting team. The two teams meet for the first time ever in the Champions League.
Highlighted Player (Mikel Oyarzabal):
Intelligence is not an attribute you will find in Mikel Oyarzabal’s stats with Real Sociedad but this tricky winger is a highly knowledgeable winger who will use both brain and feet while playing. For a player born in Eibar, who made his first steps in his hometown club, it was always going to be a choice between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad for Oyarzabal.
La Real saw their chance and grabbed this gem of a player at a young age, helping him develop into a proper professional throughout their youth ranks. Mikel Oyarzabal has spent the entirety of his senior career with the Basque behemoths where he’d use his ability to fill in a number of positions up top much to his own benefit.
Oyarzabal’s positioning and movement are work of a tactical genius, whereas it is his nous to find details to exploit that best define him as a player. Having come through the youth categories of the Spanish national team, Oyarzabal also has a senior cap next to his name. It was in 2016 that he also represented the Basque region, scoring on his debut to cap a 3-1 win over Tunisia.
Highlighted Team (Salzburg):
Salzburg are a professional football club that compete in Austrian Bundesliga. The club’s main sponsors are Red Bull and, as a result, they are well known under the name of the Red Bulls. The club was founded on 13 September, 1933 and they won their first Austrian Bundesliga trophy in 1994.
Salzburg quickly established themselves as the dominant force in the national championship and they are the most successful Austrian club in the 21st century. It has to be noted that they won their tenth Austrian Premier League trophy in 2016, finishing the season nine points clear of second-placed Rapid Wien.
The Red Bulls welcome their rivals at Red Bull Arena, the stadium that was opened on 8 March, 2008. The capacity of the venue is 31 895. Salzburg participated in the 1993/1994 UEFA Cup final, but Italian side proved to be a big catch for the Austrian outfit. Inter recorded a 2-0 win over Salzburg in the final (on aggregate).