Preview: Feyenoord vs. Red Bull Salzburg – prediction, team news, lineups

Still looking for the first points Champions League, Red Bull Salzburg Travel to the Netherlands to take it over Feyenoord at De Kuip on Wednesday evening.

While the Red Bulls have only won one of their last six away games across all competitions, their Rotterdam counterparts are aiming to win their fourth home game in five games.

Game preview

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Feyenoord have never progressed beyond the group stages in their six previous attempts at the Champions League, but there are hopes that the Dutch giants will progress to the knockout stages of this season's newly formed competition after winning six of a possible nine have collected points.

After a heavy 4-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on matchday one, Feyenoord have since traveled to Spain and Portugal to beat Girona 3-2 and Benfica 3-1 respectively and secured the maximum two weeks ago – not since 1971 To secure points against the latter Have you won consecutive away games in the European Cup/Champions League?

We are now approaching the halfway point of the UCL league phase, Brian Priske's men are currently ranked 16th in the Table with 36 teams and just one point behind the top eight. Victory is the least Feyenoord is aiming for in Wednesday's promising game against Salzburg, with difficult tests against Manchester City and Bayern Munich still ahead.

Since the victory over Benfica, the team from Rotterdam has had a mixed fortune in the Eredivisie: between a 0-2 home defeat against Ajax Amsterdam and renewed victories against Utrecht (2-0) and AZ Alkmaar (3-2), which were last weekend, there was a 2-0 home defeat against Ajax Amsterdam and they remain fourth in the table and three points behind second-placed Ajax, who still have a game in hand.

Feyenoord, who have won three of their last four home games, now prepare to host Austrian opponents De Kuip for the first time since beating Sturm Graz 6-0 in the Europa League in September 2022.

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Red Bull Salzburg is one of nine clubs still waiting for their first win in the 2024/25 Champions League and one of six teams that have not picked up a single point after three games.

The Austrian champions suffered disappointing defeats against Sparta Prague, Brest and Dinamo Zagreb by an aggregate score of 9-0 and lost 2-0 at home to the latter in their last European game two weeks ago.

Former Liverpool assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders has insisted his team will “learn and come back stronger” from their poor start to the league phase, but it is hard to see where they could pick up valuable points in the coming weeks and months as they watch Wednesday's game against Feyenoord through encounters with Leverkusen, PSG, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.

While Salzburg currently sit 34th in the 36-team UCL table, they also sit third in the Austrian Bundesliga standings – five points behind second-placed Rapid Vienna, who have played two games more – and had to earned a frustrating 0-0 draw at home with 10 men from basement club Grazer AK on Saturday.

The Red Bulls will be desperate to end their eight-match Champions League winning streak when they travel to the Netherlands on Wednesday for the first time since beating Ajax 3-0 in the Europa League in February 2014.

Feyenoord Champions League form:

Feyenoord form (all competitions):

Red Bull Salzburg Champions League form:

Red Bull Salzburg form (all competitions):

Team news

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Feyenoord will be without last season's top goalscorer Santiago Gimenez (Hip), Calvin Stengs, Quilindschy Hartman (both knees), Jordan Lotomba, Ayase Ueda (both hamstrings) and top scorer this season Antoni Milambo (unspecified) – who scored six goals due to injury.

Gjivai Zechiel has recovered from an ankle injury, but the 20-year-old is not expected to start ahead of either in midfield Hwang In-beom, Quinten Timber or Ramiz Zerrouki.

After scoring as a substitute against AZ last weekend, Brighton moved out on loan Ibrahim Osman hopes to be able to return to the first eleven before either of them Igor Paixao or Luka IvanusecThe latter also scored a goal last time out, during Julian Carranza is the most likely candidate to take the leadership.

As for Red Bull Salzburg, it will likely be missing Gaoussou diakite (Hip), Fernando, Petar Ratkow (both thighs), Takumu Kawamura (knee) and Moussa Yeo (ankle) due to injury.

goalkeeper Alexander Schlager is suspended after being sent off in the third matchday defeat to Dinamo Zagreb Janis Blaswich is ready to start between the posts, protected by the central defender duo Kamil Piatkowski And Samson Baidoo.

Liverpool loanee Stefan Bajcetic And Bobby Clark are both in the race to start in midfield Karim Konatewho has scored six goals this season, the highest in the team, is supported in attack by Oscar Gloukh And Adam Daghim.

Possible Feyenoord starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Read, Beelen, Hancko, Bueno; Zerrouki, Hwang, Timber; Osman, Carranza, Paixao

Possible starting lineup for Red Bull Salzburg:
Blaswich; Dedic, Piatkowski, Baidoo, Terzic; Bidstrup, Diambou, Clark; Daghim, Konate, Gloukh

We say: Feyenoord 3:1 Red Bull Salzburg

Salzburg can hardly afford to give up too many points if they want to keep their small hopes of reaching the knockout rounds alive. However, keeping the defense tight was a real challenge and it could be difficult to prevail against a Feyenoord team who, despite the absence of Gimenez and Milambo, should still have enough quality in the final third to beat their opponents trump.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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