Bulls welcome Wolves – Salzburg are considered clear favourites

Bad tongues would say that Group G of this year’s Champions League season sounds more like a group in the UEFA Europa League. In fact, there is no absolute top team to be found and accordingly the fight for the two CL places is open and exciting. After two match days, the Austrian industry leader from the city of Mozart leads the table and could underpin its first-time AF ambitions in the Bullen’s clash against the Wölfe on Wednesday. Red Bull Salzburg and Wolfsburg already face each other at 6 p.m. in Wals Siezenheim.

Neither team can look back on a successful dress rehearsal, and both were defeated last weekend. Salzburg went without a full win for the first time this Bundesliga season in a disappointing 1-1 draw in Vorarlberg. The van Bommel protégés were beaten 2-0 by Union Berlin in the capital and were particularly disappointing in terms of their play.

The performances of the Bullen eleven on the international stage in recent years and weeks have left an impression and the team is by no means smiled at anymore. This is also clear from the odds in the Red Bull Salzburg vs. Wolfsburg match, as the bookmakers see the Austrian team as relatively clear favourites in the clash with their big neighbours from Germany.

Red Bull Salzburg – Statistics & current form

In the last two years, Salzburg was unlucky to draw and had two absolute top teams in the group. Nevertheless, the Bullen were allowed to dream of the last 16 until the last matchday. This year, it can be said that they have been lucky with their draw and in a well-balanced group, Salzburg have so far presented themselves as the strongest team in terms of play.

Five penalties in two games

In Salzburg’s games so far in this group stage, the subject of penalties naturally comes up. The Salzburg bulls have been awarded no less than five penalties in their first two games. The young German international Karim Adeyemi (Bayern and BVB are interested in him) took no less than four penalties. Never before in CL history since OPTA data was collected (2003/04) has no player taken more than four penalties in an entire CL season. The youngster could soon break that record. Last weekend Adeyemi was given a slight rest in Altach, but he will be available again for the Champions League match. An Adeyemi goal results in lucrative betting odds of up to 2.50.

Adeyemi is one of the players who more than fills the shoes of Patson Daka and Mergim Berisha. Once again, Salzburg’s new talents are convincing all along the line. The average age in the first two games at Salzburg was just 22 years and 312 days, making the Jaissle eleven by far the youngest team. This average would be much lower without captain Andreas Ulmer (35 years old).

Personnel worries

Compared to the unusually weak performance in Altach, Matthias Jaissle can not only welcome Adeyemi back on Wednesday, but US team player Brenden Aaronson is also available again. On the other hand, Benjamin Sesko was injured only minutes after his substitution, adding to the current Bullen lazarette. Sekou Koita, Zlatko Junuzovic, Albert Vallci, Oumar Solet and Kamil Piatkowski will not be available for Salzburg.

However, Salzburg have often shown in the past that they can compensate for absences (or departures) very well internally. These personnel worries do not change anything about the role of the favourites and with Red Bull Salzburg against Wolfsburg, this forecast definitely has its appeal. These absences are just another opportunity to witness the birth of new stars. 17-year-old Roko Simic (seven goals at Liefering) is one of the players who could make his Bullen debut against Wolfsburg.

Predicted line-up of Red Bull Salzburg:
Köhn – Ulmer, Wöber, Onguene, Kristensen – Sucic, Camara, Seiwald – Aaronson – Adeyemi, Okafor

Last matches played by Red Bull Salzburg:

Wolfsburg – Statistics & current form

At the start of the season, Mark van Bommel was eyed relatively critically as the new Wolfsburg coach and many a football fan saw him as the “favourite” for the first coaching sacking. However, with four opening victories in the German Bundesliga, the former Bayern professional got off to a perfect start. But since then, not much has gone right in the VW city and the Wolves have hit the hard ground of reality.

Third Bundesliga defeat in a row

The first loss of points – a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt – was followed by three league defeats in a row. As a result, the Wolves have lost their top position and are now only in sixth place. The van Bommel team conceded all three defeats with a two-goal difference. After Wout Weghorst’s offensive was the big strength last year (61 goals in 34 games), the VFL offensive is currently relatively toothless. Wolfsburg only managed to score nine goals.

Improvement for the game in Salzburg is not necessarily in sight, because not only the weak form speaks against the Wolves, but on Monday morning the VFL also had to announce the absence of top scorer Weghorst. After not feeling well on Sunday, a PCR test suggested that the Dutch international will not be available to the Wolves in the coming days.

Unspectacular performances in the Champions League

The duel against the Bullen from Austria will be a bit of a duel of opposites. While Salzburg’s games have so far been synonymous with pure spectacle, the Wolves’ performances in the top flight have not necessarily been a source of excitement. The German Bundesliga team remained without defeat in both games, but there was hardly any offensive action to be seen. The expected goals for Wolfsburg amount to 1.3 (one was scored), the expected goals conceded to 2.8 (one was conceded). This represents the lowest score in this CL season behind Chelsea.

The unsettled Wolves will certainly have problems with Salzburg and their incredible pace. After two “sub-par” games, there is a good chance that there will be more goals to see this time. For an over 2.5, odds of around 1.70 are offered on Red Bull Salzburg vs Wolfsburg.

Predicted Wolfsburg line-up:
Casteels – Roussilon, Brooks, Bornauw, Mbabu – Guilavogui, Arnold – Waldschmidt, Philipp, Baku – Weghorst

Last matches played by Wolfsburg:

Red Bull Salzburg – Wolfsburg Direct comparison / H2H balance

Premiere – for the first time the Bullen and the Wolves face each other. While Salzburg have gained quite a bit of experience against German Bundesliga teams, this match is only the third ever competitive match for Wolfsburg against a team from the neighbouring country. In the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Sturm Graz were eliminated with an aggregate score of 5:3.

Red Bull Salzburg – Wolfsburg Tip

The Austrian champions could push the door wide open towards a first-ever Champions League last 16 appearance in Wednesday’s early evening match. The very young Jaissle eleven had to accept their first loss of points at the weekend, but there are clear form advantages to be found with the bulls compared to the wolves. The van Bommel eleven is in a nosedive and against the attractive Bullen style of play, the underdog role is certainly justified. Red Bull Salzburg vs Wolfsburg betting odds of around 3.50 are on offer for the visitors.

The times when Austrian football was only a peripheral phenomenon internationally are a thing of the past thanks to the performances of Red Bull Salzburg. The Bullen are now seen as clear favourites against a team from Germany. Even from a neutral point of view, this is an assessment that is definitely in order. Due to the weak form of the Wolves and the absence of Weghorst, the bet on a home win on the third CL matchday between Red Bull Salzburg and Wolfsburg is obvious. Six units are recommended for this bet