Red Bull Salzburg – Olympique Marseille (Europa League)

After losing 2-0 at the Velodrome, the Red Bulls host Olympique Marseille on their return leg in the Europa League semifinal. Red Bull Salzburg had to wait until UEFA confirmed their participation in this Champions League preview because both the club and RB Leipzig, had achieved the pass to this edition. The Austrians won the double last season under the direction of Oscar Garcia, defeating in the final cope with Rapid Vienna 1-2. This season, Marco Rose replaces the Spaniard in front of the team, who made several important additions last summer: the German-Croatian Marin Pongracic, signed for 1 million euros, from 1860 Munich, the only signing for which they had to make a disbursement; the Austrian Patrick Farkas (Mattersburg) and the French Mamadou Dembélé (from the PSG Sub-19) at zero cost. On the other hand, the team sold Brazil’s Wanderson to Krasnodar for 8 million euros and Austrian midfielder Konrad Laimer to RB Leipzig for 7 million euros.

Leader of the Austrian Bundesliga with 11 points of advantage over Sturm Graz after 32 rounds, the team eliminated Real Sociedad in the first round of this competition, before giving an account of Borussia Dortmund which they defeated in Germany and which they maintained to zero in Austria. In the previous round, the victim was Lazio.

Eleven Probable: Stankovic – Miranda, Pongracic, Ulmer, Farkas – Samassékou, Yabo, Berisha, Lázaro – Dabbur, Wolf.

Olympique Marseille occupies the 4th position in Ligue 1, adding 70 points, with a balance of 20 wins, 10 draws and 5 losses in 35 games.

Rudi García has been able to design a team to his measure, after reaching the half-Marseille team mediated last season. With a budget of almost 145 million euros, the objective of L’OM is to fight for the titles at national level. For this, the team has invested 45 million euros, making signings of experienced players, such as the Brazilian Luiz Gustavo, who arrives from Wolfsburg; the center forward of AS Monaco, Valère Germain; the also forward Clinton N’Jie, who arrives from Tottenham; the central Adil Rami, from Sevilla; the return of the international goal Steve Mandanda, coming from the Crystal Palace; the assignment of left-back Jordan Amavi from Aston Villa; and the definitive purchase of Florian Thauvin to Newcastle, in exchange for 11 million euros. Of course, Rudi Garcia will maintain the skeleton of the team that during some months, was playing at a good level in spring, with the star Dimitri Payet as the axis of the game, and with a 4-3-3 that gave him such a good performance in his stage as the first coach of AS Roma.

After winning the first 4 games played in 2018, the team tied at home against AS Monaco (2-2), beating Metz 6-3, tying at Saint-Étienne (2-2), beating Girondins in the Velodrome (1-0) before falling in Paris (in two matches, in league and French Cup) and draw at home against Nantes (1-1). Since then, the team won in Toulouse (1-2), lost to Lyon (2-3) and thrashed in Dijon (1-3), drawing two draws and two victories in the last four days.

Eleven Probable: Mandanda – Sarr, Rolando, Rami, Sakai – Samson, Luiz Gustavo, Thauvin, Payet – Ocampos, Germain.

Red Bull Salzburg – Olympique Marseille Prediction

The Austrians have known how to play great football in their stadium and they have faith in being able to turn it around. They have no pressure and they know that a victory gets them into the story. To the French, a defeat with goals puts them in the final of Lyon, so the forecast is for Salzburg to take the match.

Prediction Today: Victory of the Red Bull Salzburg
Odds: 2.10