Bayer Leverkusen vs Red Bull Salzburg prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups - November 26, 2024
Dillan George
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
On Tuesday, November 26, in the 5th round of the UEFA Champions League, Bayer Leverkusen will face Red Bull Salzburg. Kickoff is at 21:00 CET. My bet for this match is on goals.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- Bayer has scored just 1 goal in their last 3 home matches in the Champions League.
- Red Bull Salzburg has lost only 1 of their last 5 away games in the Champions League, including qualifiers.
- Salzburg has won only 2 of their last 7 matches across all competitions.
- This will be the first-ever meeting between these teams.
Match Preview
Bayer Leverkusen is enduring a difficult season despite sensationally winning both the Bundesliga and the German Cup last year—an unprecedented feat for the club. Despite retaining their key players, it seems unlikely that they will compete for the league title again this season.
Under Xabi Alonso, Bayer has dropped points against teams they should have beaten, such as Werder Bremen (2:2), Holstein Kiel (2:2), and Bochum (1:1). As a result, they trail Bayern Munich by 9 points. On Saturday, Bayer started poorly against Heidenheim, conceding twice within the first 21 minutes, but they eventually won 5:2.
In the Champions League, Bayer began with dominant wins over Feyenoord (4:0) and Milan (1:0), but they were held to a surprising 1:1 draw by Brest and were crushed 0:4 by Liverpool in the last round. With 7 points, Bayer sits in third place in their group.
Red Bull Salzburg, typically dominant in Austria, finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, and their current campaign is shaping up to be even worse.
In 12 league matches, Salzburg has managed only 5 wins, placing them in 5th with 18 points, trailing leaders Sturm Graz by 14 points. Despite having two games in hand, the gap is daunting. On Saturday, they lost 1:2 to LASK at home, following a 0:2 defeat to Blau-Weiß Linz. Salzburg has picked up just 2 points in their last 4 games.
Their Champions League campaign started disastrously with losses to Sparta (0:3), Brest (0:4), and Dinamo Zagreb (0:2). However, they managed an unexpected 3:1 victory over Feyenoord in their most recent outing.
Predicted Lineups
- Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky; Tella, Tah, Hincapié, Tapsoba; Grimaldo, Xhaka, Andrich; Aleix Garcia, Wirtz; Schick
- Red Bull Salzburg: Schlager; Capaldo, Piatkowski, Baidoo, Terzic; Clark, Gourna-Douath, Diambou; Gloukh, Nene, Konaté
Bayer Leverkusen vs Red Bull Salzburg prediction
Despite Bayer’s struggles this season, they are clear favorites against a Salzburg team in crisis. My bet: the home team will score more than 2 goals.
