Real Madrid Vs. Red Bull Salzburg Prediction: Winning Match For Los Blancos

Rodrygo, one of Real Madrid's lethal weapons on the front lines (photo: x @RodrygoGoes)

JAKARTA - Real Madrid will try to ease the pressure in the Champions League when they host Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night, January 22 or Thursday morning WIB. After a less convincing start, the reigning champions are now in danger of losing their place in the knockout phase, but victory in this match will almost certainly ensure their position in the last 24.

Real Madrid won a crucial victory in their away game against Atalanta in the sixth match, which helped them stay on track to qualify for the playoffs. Carlo Ancelotti's side are currently only two points ahead of the playoffs, and the pressure could increase if other teams won the day before.

With just nine points from their first six games, the top eight appears to be difficult to reach by Real Madrid. Their focus now is securing the strongest possible position in the playoffs zone. Their last two games against Salzburg and Brest are consideredwinnable, which provides a great opportunity for Los Blancos to go forward.

The team's morale increased after a painful loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. A 5-2 win over Celta Vigo confirmed their place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, while the draw won by Barcelona and Atletico Madrid helped them climb to the top of La Liga after a 4-1 win over Las Palmas.

Real Madrid now have a seven-point gap from Barcelona, with Atletico being their closest competitor. Before facing the Madrid derby in the coming weeks, they have a relatively easy fixture against Salzburg, Real Valladolid, Brest, and Espanyol.

However, their main focus remains on the Champions League. Los Blancos will be a strong favorite in this game, especially as they are in great form by scoring goals in their last 32 home games in this competition.

Nonetheless, their last home defeat in the Champions League came against AC Milan with a score of 3-1, putting them at risk of losing two consecutive home games in the competition for the first time in six years.

This match will be their first meeting with Salzburg. However, fans of the hosts hope the results are similar to their last meeting against the Austrian club in 1998, where Real Madrid crushed Sturm Graz with a score of 5-1.

On the other hand, Salzburg is experiencing a disappointing season both in domestic and European competitions. They are almost certainly eliminated from the Champions League and far behind in the domestic league standings.

If Salzburg loses by a two-goal difference or more without scoring a goal, they will match the record for such defeats in a single Champions League season currently held by Sturm Graz (six times).

PSG, who were not at their best, managed to beat Salzburg 3-0 in the sixth match, resulting in Pep Lijnders' sacking. Previously, Salzburg also lost 5-0 to Bayer Leverkusen, 4-0 to Brest, and 3-0 to Sparta Prague.

Thomas Letsch is now taking over as coach, replacing Lijnders. Letsch was previously sacked by Bochum in April, and this will be his first game as coach of Salzburg, with the Austrian league still in the winter holiday until February 9.

Salzburg needed a small miracle to qualify for the knockout stages. They had to face Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the last two games, and despite winning, nine points didn't seem enough to pass them.

In Lucas Vazquez's match, Real Madrid will not appear due to accumulated yellow cards after the match against Atalanta, while Dani Carvajal is also sidelined with injury. Federico Valverde will most likely fill the position, although Aurelien Tchouameni is also an option, although he is doubtful because he missed the last game.

Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric, who missed the weekend due to suspension, will return to the starting XI. However, Eduardo Camavinga is still in doubt due to fitness issues.

Red Bull Salzburg

Salzburg will lose Karim Konate and Maurits Kjaergaard due to long-term injuries, while Alexander Schlager, Bobby Clark (sick), Amar Dedic (an ankle injury), and Daouda Guindo (loss injury) are doubtful.

Karim Onisiwo, who was recently recruited from Mainz, was not registered for the competition, although he scored in the final friendly against Midtjylland.

Seeing the performance of both teams, Real Madrid are favored to win this match. With high motivation to secure a position in the playoffs and Salzburg's poor performance, Los Blancos are predicted to win with a convincing score. These results will also extend their positive record in the Champions League.

Real Madrid (4-3-3):Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Modric, Ceballos, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.

Red Bull Salzburg (4-4-2): Blaswich; Morgalla, Baidoo, Piatkowski, Terzic; Yeo, Capaldo, Bidstrup, Nene; Gloukh, Ratkov.

Final score prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Red Bull Salzburg