RB Salzburg vs Liverpool 11/12/19

11 December 2019

RB Salzburg and Liverpool go head-to-head at the Red Bull Arena in a match that will decide who of the sides will progress from the UEFA Champions League (CL) Group E.

Sitting two points behind second-placed Napoli and one adrift of section-toppers Liverpool, the perennial Austrian champions can progress from Group E with a win here. Led by the CL second-best goalscorer, Erling Braut Haaland, the hosts have netted 16 goals in the competition already, scoring 2+ match goals in all but one of their CL outings so far. Still, ten of those goals have come against Genk as well as both of their CL triumphs. Salzburg’s main problem ahead of this pivotal fixture could be their inability to preserve a blank sheet. They have not only conceded at least a goal in all five of their matches in the competition, but they’ve also allowed over 1.5 match goals three times already – a 4-3 defeat at Anfield in the reverse fixture included.

Meanwhile, the visitors have racked up three straight CL victories before playing out a 1-1 home draw with Napoli last time out. Indeed, both of Liverpool’s CL failures (D1, L1) this term have come against the Italian side. Interestingly, all three of the Merseyside outfit’s wins in the competition have seen them bag two o more goals and concede at least one, with two of them witnessing Jurgen Klopp’s men score precisely four. Klopp’s team need to avoid defeat here to advance to the knockout stage, and they do have a solid record in Austria to draw inspiration from (W2, D1). But, a potential worry for the traveling side is that they’ve suffered seven defeats in their last 12 UEFA trips outside England.