Freiburg vs Salzburg Prediction

🔊 In the sixth round of the Europa League, Freiburg host Salzburg at the Europa-Park Stadium, aiming to extend their unbeaten streak. Julian Schuster's squad are firmly positioned in the top eight and remain one of the three teams yet to suffer a defeat in Europe's second-tier club competition. Under Thomas Lech, the Austrian side have already lost four matches but still hold slim hopes for a playoff spot. We break down all the scenarios and provide our prediction below.

Head-to-Head

📊 These clubs have not faced each other before.

Freiburg Team Overview

🏆 In November, the "Brazilians of Breisgau" played two away matches. They first traveled to France, where they defeated Nice 3-1, thanks to goals from Manzambi, Grifo, and Scherhant. Then, they headed to the Czech Republic, where they played to a goalless draw against Viktoria Plzeň (0-0). After five rounds, Freiburg are in fourth place with 11 points: the team has secured three wins and two draws. Only Freiburg, Betis, and Ferencváros remain unbeaten in the tournament. A victory on Thursday would significantly boost the "Brazilians of Breisgau's" chances of direct qualification to the round of 16, but they still have upcoming clashes with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Lille.

⚪ Freiburg are formidable at home, remaining unbeaten in eight matches at the Europa-Park, with only two draws. However, they consistently stumble on the road: in their last two Bundesliga outings, the "Brazilians of Breisgau" suffered defeats against Bayern Munich (2-6) and one of the league's underdogs, Heidenheim (1-2). These results have kept the club from closing in on European competition spots—after 13 rounds, Freiburg sit ninth with 16 points. The team also recently advanced to the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal by defeating Darmstadt 2-0 at home and will face Hertha Berlin away in February.

RB Salzburg Team Overview

🏆 The "Red Bulls" still have a shot at reaching the Round of 32, despite suffering four defeats in five matches. Thomas Lech's squad fell to Porto (0-1), Lyon (0-2), Ferencvaros (2-3), and Bologna (1-4). Their sole victory came at home against Go Ahead Eagles (2-0). Salzburg sit in 29th place with three points and could theoretically break into the top 24 with wins over Freiburg, Basel, and Aston Villa, though the odds of such a scenario are slim.

🔴 In the Austrian Bundesliga, the "Red Bulls" lead the pack after 16 rounds, having recently secured an away victory against Blau-Weiß Linz (2-0). They hold a one-point advantage over the reigning champions, Sturm Graz, and are three points ahead of LASK. In the Austrian Cup, Salzburg remain in contention and will face Wolfsberg away in the quarterfinals on February 1st.

Latest news

Freiburg

🎙 Julian Schuster after the defeat in Heidenheim: "It's tough to accept right now, and we're very disappointed. We allowed the opponent to score too easily. It's very frustrating, but it's important to learn from this. The team has shown that they can turn situations like this into something positive."

❌ Daniel-Kofi Kyereh remains unavailable. Eren Dinkci, Jean Makengo, and Cédric Itten are doubtful.

RB Salzburg

🎙 Head coach Thomas Lech after the victory over Blau Weiss Linz: "There's nothing better than winning. This is exactly why we work so hard – it brings us immense joy. After the first ten minutes, we controlled the game and played aggressively. In the second half, we could have scored earlier, but we're pleased to have kept a clean sheet."

❌ Douglas Mendes remains doubtful for the next match. Valentin Sulzbacher, Lucas Gourna-Douath, and Henri Chase are not listed. Takuma Kawamura, Justin Omoregie, Maurits Kjaergaard, and Jon Melberg are sidelined with injuries.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

Elchin Masiyev will officiate the match at the Europa-Park. In his last ten matches, the Azerbaijani referee has averaged 3.6 yellow cards per game. Both Freiburg and Salzburg have received 8 cautions over five rounds (averaging 1.6 per game). We are considering Salzburg's individual total of fewer than 2.5 yellow cards, a mark that has been met in four previous Europa League rounds by the "Red Bulls".

⚽ Goal Prediction

Given the strong home form of the German side, we are betting on Freiburg's individual total of more than 1.5 goals. This has been achieved in 7 out of the club's 8 matches at the Europa-Park.

🚩 Corner Prediction

After five rounds, the hosts have the edge in total corners with 24 (an average of 4.8) compared to the visitors' 13 (2.6). We anticipate that territorial dominance will remain with Streich's players, yet we are betting on Freiburg's individual total of fewer than 6.5 corners, which has occurred in 12 out of their last 13 matches.

Freiburg aim to bounce back in front of their fans after a disappointing loss to a lower-ranked side in the last league round, while also maintaining their push for the top spot in the Europa League by extending their unbeaten run and successful home streak in the tournament. We predict a Freiburg win with a -1 handicap, as the team's quality surpasses that of the Austrian club, which has yet to secure any points on the road and has conceded at least two goals per match away from home. A 2-0 scoreline seems plausible. We doubt Salzburg have the resources to simultaneously compete for a Europa League playoff spot and maintain their lead in the Austrian Bundesliga, a title the "Red Bulls" have failed to clinch for the past two seasons.