It's time for a decisive match in UEFA Champions League Group E on Tuesday, when Austrian champions RB Salzburg host Premier League leaders Liverpool at Red Bull Arena. The reverse fixture was an extremely spectacular one, Liverpool won it 4-3 after Salzburg had manage to equalize from 3-0 down. That was the first ever meeting between the two sides and the fifth victory in seven games for Liverpool against teams from Austria. Salzburg have played five times against English teams in Europe and the only managed to collect a draw and four defeats.
RB Salzburg have been quite impressive in the UEFA Champions League this season, with 19-year-old Norwegian striker Erling Haaland netting no less than 8 goals in 5 matches. They have collected seven points so far, beating Belgian side Genk 6-2 at home and 4-1 away and grabbing a creditable 1-1 draw at Napoli. They have scored in each of their five group matches so far but they have also conceded in every game. Last week they secured a 5-1 home win over Tirol in the Austrian Bundesliga, after two consecutive draws. Alexander Walke, Antoine Bernede and Patrick Farkas are injured for the home side.
Liverpool are not entirely sure of their place in the next phase, even though they are leading the group table before the final round of matches. A draw at Salzburg would secure their place in the first knockout round, but if they lose then they could end up third if Napoli beat Lille in the other match of this group. Last weekend the Reds collected their seventh consecutive Premier League win, 3-0 at Bournemouth, consolidating their place at the top of the table. Dejan Lovren suffered an injury during last week's match but he should be fine for Tuesday evening, while Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip, Fabinho and Adam Lallana are sidelined.
Probable line-ups:
Salzburg: Stankovic - Kristensen, Wober, Onguene, Ulmer - Mwepu, Junuzovic, Szoboszlai - Minamino - Hee-Chan, Haaland
Liverpool: Alisson - Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson - Chamberlain, Henderson, Wijnaldum - Salah, Firmino, Mane
My prediction:
I am expecting another high-scoring match between these two spectacular teams, but I am also expecting a win for Liverpool, most likely 3-2.
Here are the odds for this match at NetBet:
Salzburg win - 3.80
Draw - 4.10
Liverpool win - 1.87
