Feyenoord vs Red Bull Salzburg Prediction: Salzburg’s CL ship to sail in Rotterdam

After suffering a 4-0 hammering at home by Bayer Leverkusen on matchday one of the Uefa Champions League league phase, Feyenoord fans could be forgiven for feeling apprehensive about the rest of their campaign. However, De Trots van Zuid recovered to beat Girona 3-2 in Spain and Benfica 3-1 in Portugal, putting them on six points ahead of Red Bull Salzburg's visit to De Kuip on Wednesday (20:00, TNT Sports 7).

The Austrians, meanwhile, are pointless in the competition after losing 3-0 to Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic before suffering home defeats to Brest (0-4) and Dinamo Zagreb (0-2), piling the pressure on head coach Pep Lijnders. Below is my Feyenoord vs Red Bull Salzburg prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this Rotterdam clash.

Team News

Feyenoord are somewhat depleted heading into Wednesday's contest as they are without last season's top goalscorer Santiago Gimenez and their leading marksman in the current campaign, 19-year-old Antoni Milambo, who struck in Girona before bagging a brace in Lisbon last time out in the competition.

Fellow forward Ayase Ueda is also out injured so summer signing Julian Carranza looks set to lead the line in back-to-back games after also starting Saturday's 3-2 victory over AZ Alkmaar at De Kuip.

Calvin Stengs, Jordan Lotomba and Quilindschy Hartman are also sidelined for this midweek fixture.

Football Odds

Red Bull Salzburg have a lengthy injury list themselves with Amar Dedic, Takumu Kawamura, Bryan Okoh, Moussa Yeo, Petar Ratkov and Fernando all sitting this one out.

Doubts also remain over midfielders Maurits Kjaergaard and Lucas Gourna-Douath, who have missed back-to-back matches against Tirol and Grazer AK, which they won 3-0 and drew 0-0, respectively.

Meanwhile, Alexander Schlager is suspended following his dismissal in the Austrian side's defeat to Dinamo last month.

Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic, who joined permanently and on loan from Liverpool, respectively, during the summer transfer window, both started Saturday's goalless draw at the Red Bull Arena and could get the nod from the beginning again on Wednesday.

Oscar Gloukh was injured for Salzburg's final two games of October but returned as a substitute at the weekend and is in contention to start in Rotterdam.

Feyenoord vs Red Bull Salzburg Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Feyenoord vs Red Bull Salzburg page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Feyenoord are 4/7 to win a third-straight Champions League match, giving the Dutch side an implied probability of 63.6%, while Red Bull Salzburg are 9/2, or an 18.2% chance, to get off the mark in the league phase with all three points in the Netherlands.

A first draw for either can be backed at 100/30, both teams to score at 8/13, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/15.

Total Goals - Over 3.5 @ 11/8

Feyenoord's first three Champions League matches this season have all produced over 3.5 total goals and with Wednesday's visitors desperately searching for their first win in the competition, the conditions are there for a goal fest in Rotterdam this week.

Remarkably, Salzburg are yet to score in the league phase, with their opponents putting three, four and two past them without reply so far.

The Austrians need to throw caution to the wind on Wednesday, though, as they are one of just six teams without a point heading into matchday four. Four games are remaining for each side following this week, but with Salzburg's final four fixtures coming against Leverkusen (A), Paris Saint-Germain (H), Real Madrid (A) and Atletico Madrid (H), they really need to achieve a positive result in Rotterdam if they have any designs on finishing in the top 24 and claiming a place in the knock-out phase play-offs.

Realistically, they need to be claiming all three points at De Kuip, and that should mean we see plenty of goals again in a game featuring Feyenoord, who were on the positive end of a five-goal thriller against AZ on the weekend.

Including August's Johan Cruyff Shield penalty shootout success over PSV Eindhoven, 46.7 per cent (seven) of their 15 matches this season have finished with over 3.5 total goals, while 40 per cent (eight) of Salzburg's 20 games in all competitions have seen at least four strikes.

Feyenoord are missing some key attackers but that didn't stop Brian Priske's charges from netting three against AZ on Saturday and they will back themselves to score a few past a vulnerable Salzburg side in midweek.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Feyenoord & Yes @ 15/8

I've not seen anywhere near enough quality from Salzburg this season to suggest that they can achieve a positive result in Rotterdam on Wednesday.

Lijnders started life in Salzburg brightly enough as he went unbeaten in his first eight games in charge, winning six, but after coming unstuck in a 3-2 defeat to Austrian Bundesliga side SK Rapid Wien on September 1, the team has never truly recovered.

Die Roten Bullen have won just four of their last 12 games in all competitions, losing five times, and their away record has been particularly poor. They've been beaten in three of their last six trips away from Salzburg, winning just once - a 4-0 triumph in the OFB Cup at Regionalliga East outfit Wiener Viktoria on September 25.

Salzburg haven't even scored in four of their last five away games, so you could be forgiven for expecting them to come away from their journey to Rotterdam without a goal or a point to their name.

I don't think they will be able to avoid defeat against a strong Feyenoord side that has won three of their last four home matches, and one that has only suffered two defeats all season - against reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen, and a vastly-improving Ajax (0-2).

However, I'm backing the visitors to at least get on the scoresheet on Wednesday, simply because, in all honesty, they have to. A draw isn't really enough for them if they harbour ambitions of reaching the next stage of the Champions League, which should mean Lijnders sending his side to go all out in search of a goal, particularly late on.

Feyenoord aren't infallible at the back either, keeping just two clean sheets since Priske took over from Arne Slot in the summer, with neither of them arriving in Europe.

Offers

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League game on Tuesday or Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Europa League games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement)

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.