UEFA Europa League Preview: RB Salzburg vs Milan – Team News, Lineups & Prediction

UEFA Europa League Preview: RB Salzburg vs Milan – Team News, Lineups & Prediction

Red Bull Arena is the venue as Red Bull Salzburg and Milan go head-to-head in an exciting UEFA Europa League clash. Thursday’s clash in Austria has all the makings of a must-win fixture for the Rossoneri after a disappointing start to this season’s league phase.

Goals from Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski on either side of halftime propelled Benfica to a 2-0 win at San Siro on the opening matchday, significantly complicating Milan’s bid to secure a top-eight finish. Despite responding to their only loss of the season with a commanding 3-0 win over Lecce just before the international break, Milan slumped again last weekend.

Adrien Rabiot’s thunderbolt was merely enough for a point at Sassuolo as the Rossoneri posted their third draw in six Serie A matches under Ruben Amorim (W3). Needless to say, it’s been far from an ideal start for the former Manchester United manager, even though Milan remain unbeaten after the opening six league fixtures for the first time since 2022.

Eager to get on the board in the Europa League, Milan will have to be at their best if they’re to knock high-flying Salzburg off their perch. Haris Tabakovic’s first-half strike inspired Danny Rohl’s side to a narrow 1-0 win at Levski Sofia in round one, putting the Austrian giants on the brink of back-to-back victories in major European competitions for the first time since October 2021.

Match Preview

RB Salzburg

You’d need to go back to October 2017 for the last time Salzburg won consecutive UEFA matches without conceding. Replicating that feat against Milan could be easier said than done, but the hosts can take confidence from registering three successive shutouts in all competitions heading into this meeting (W2, D1).

Furthermore, Salzburg have been virtually unplayable at home this term, winning all six competitive outings at the Red Bull Arena. With four of those six triumphs coming by at least a two-goal margin, they’ll be confident of strengthening their pursuit of an automatic round-of-16 qualification.

However, Milan’s greater European pedigree should provide a stern test of Salzburg’s credentials. For context, the Austrians have lost three of their four previous UEFA clashes against the San Siro powerhouse (D1), including a thumping 4-0 defeat in their most recent encounter in November 2022.

Milan

Milan have fared exceptionally well against Austrian sides in Europe, suffering just one defeat in 13 encounters (W9, D3). On that basis, their dominant record against Salzburg comes as no surprise. Yet, the visitors would be naive to take anything for granted amid their rough patch.

Sunday’s draw at Sassuolo left Milan with just one win across their last five matches in all competitions (D3, L1). Part of the blame goes to their agonizingly slow starts under Amorim. They’ve scored ten of their 11 competitive goals this season beyond the hour mark, highlighting their tendency to grow into games rather than impose themselves from the outset.

That habit could prove particularly costly against a side of Salzburg’s caliber, yet Amorim has every reason for optimism. The Portuguese tactician has only lost four of his last 23 Europa League games in the dugout (W12, D7), while he’s also yet to lose an away match as Milan manager (W1, D3).

Team News

Salzburg boss Rohl cannot call upon Soumaila Diabate, Enrique Aguilar, Damir Redzic, Justin Omoregie, and Nikolas Veratschnig for this showdown. However, star strikers Karim Konate and Tabakovic are fit, though the former is likely to lead the line, with Rohl’s deadly duo combining for seven Bundesliga goals this season.

On the other hand, Milan will be without Alexis Saelemaekers, who suffered an ankle injury while on international duty with Belgium. Italian center-back Matteo Gabbia had to come off early against Sassuolo and won’t be at Amorim’s disposal on Thursday. Alphadjo Cisse could return to the starting lineup to join forces with Christian Pulisic and Goncalo Ramos in the final third.

RB Salzburg vs Milan Potential Starting Lineups

RB Salzburg (4-2-3-1): Zawieschitzky; Lainer, Boma, Drexler, Schmid; Mazurek, Barry; Baidoo, Kitano, Vertessen; Konate.

Milan (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Musah, Modric, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Cisse; Ramos.

RB Salzburg vs Milan Prediction

Salzburg’s red-hot form at the Red Bull Arena paints a potentially bleak picture for Milan, but the Rossoneri cannot afford a slip-up in Austria if they’re to reignite their lofty European ambitions. Though it won’t be straightforward, we expect Amorim to steady the ship and win steer his side back to winning ways.

Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.