Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal Prediction: Blue Waves to burst Red Bull bubbles

Al Hilal made a positive start to their 2025 Fifa Club World Cup campaign, holding Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in Miami Gardens. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, Red Bull Salzburg beat Pachuca 2-1 to move top of Group H ahead of their second game, against Al Hilal at Audi Field on Sunday (23:00 BST, DAZN).

Below are my Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this contest in Washington, DC.

Team News

Eighteen-year-old Christian Zawieschitzky made his Salzburg debut on Wednesday, covering for regular number one Alexander Schlager, who was ruled out with a hand injury. Schlager is expected to miss out again on Sunday, giving Zawieschitzky the chance to impress in back-to-back games.

Salzburg head coach Thomas Letsch could name an unchanged starting XI from the win over Pachuca, with his side 1-0 up before making any substitutions against the Mexicans. He actually made three changes in the 55th minute, and within 60 seconds, the Tuzos got on level terms.

Football Odds

While that may indicate he's best off keeping things as they were, it was substitute Karim Onisiwo who scored the winner in the 76th minute, so Letsch may decide to promote the 33-year-old Austrian forward to his starting XI.

Yorbe Vertessen, Soumaila Diabate, Adam Daghim and John Mellberg are other potential inclusions in the German's line-up.

Al Hilal's star striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, sat out his side's stalemate with Real Madrid with a calf injury, and the Serbian is set to miss out once more on Sunday, leaving Marcos Leonardo to lead the line again.

Likewise, Brazilian forward Kaio Cesar (thigh) hasn't fully recovered from his injury.

Simone Inzaghi could stick with the starting XI that served him so well against Los Blancos in midweek. His goalkeeper, Yassine 'Bono' Bounou, produced six saves in Miami Gardens, keeping out a penalty kick from Ernesto Valverde in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to ensure Al Hilal left Hard Rock Stadium with a point.

Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal Odds

Salzburg are 11/4, or a 26.7% chance, to record back-to-back wins and book their spot in the knockouts, while Al Hilal are 9/10 to secure their first win at this year's Club World Cup, implying a 52.6% probability of success.

A second successive draw for the Blue Waves is priced at 3/1, and it's 4/9 for both teams to score again.

Mitrovic (10/11) and Marcos Leonardo (23/20) head the anytime goalscorer market, with Nene Dorgeles (21/10), who has scored eight goals in his last 10 appearances, first up for the Austrians.

Price Boosts - Al Hilal to Win & Both Teams to Score @ 7/4 9/4

Salzburg got their tournament underway with a win on Wednesday, but while you can only beat who is in front of you, it's fair to say they were up against a pretty poor Pachuca side lacking any real confidence. Tuzos entered the Club World Cup on the back of just one win in their last five games, blanking in three of them, and Salzburg took full advantage of their nerviness.

Earlier in the day, Al Hilal produced an impressive performance against Real Madrid, coming back from a goal down to take a point against Xabi Alonso's star-studded side. Granted, the second half was a bit of a slog, especially compared to the opening 45 minutes when they recorded 11 shots to their opponents' five, but they remained firm in the face of relentless pressure and were able to lean on Bono for some inspiration between the sticks.

The Saudi Pro League club will be looking to build on Inzaghi's positive debut in the dugout, and on Sunday, secure the first win of his tenure.

On paper, they certainly hold the advantage, with players like Bono, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Malcom, to name just a few, walking into Salzburg's strongest XI.

The question will be, can they back it up on the pitch?

Today's Football Fixtures

I believe they can, with a head coach who has masterminded two Uefa Champions League Final runs in the last three seasons with Inter Milan now at the helm.

There were some really positive signs in their draw with Real Madrid, and while they might be expected to have less space than they enjoyed against the Spanish giants, I'm not completely convinced that will be the case, with Salzburg's Red Bull model rallying against the idea of bunkering in and soaking up pressure.

The Austrians are likely to go at full throttle on Sunday, which should set us up for an entertaining encounter at Audi Field.

Salzburg have only been stopped from scoring once in 21 games since losing 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain under former boss Pep Lijnders on December 12, even netting in big defeats to Real Madrid (1-5) and Atletico Madrid (1-4) during that period, so they will have full belief that they can breach Al Hilal's back line.

The Roten Bullen have conceded in 15 of those matches, though, including their last four, with both teams scoring in 16, and nine of their last 10.

Al Hilal, meanwhile, have struck in 15 consecutive games, and BTTS-Yes has landed in five of their last seven.

Betfred have boosted Al Hilal to win and both teams to score from 7/4 to 9/4, and it's an offer worth taking, in my opinion.

Player to Receive a Card - Renan Lodi dos Santos (HIL) @ 11/4

Al Hilal left-back Renan Lodi was booked four times in 24 Saudi Pro League appearances across the 2024/25 season, averaging 1.3 fouls per game, while in the AFC Champions League Elite, he was averaging 1.4 fouls per game, although he managed to avoid a card in his nine outings (seven starts).

On Sunday, the 27-year-old will be up against a tricky opponent, Nene, who was fouled three times in his side's victory over Pachuca in midweek. The Mali international was taken down first by Tuzos' left-back, Bryan Gonzalez, who made three fouls in total that match.

The 22-year-old will be looking to pose more problems down Salzburg's right-hand side on Sunday, running at Lodi at every opportunity, and the Brazilian could be forced to take alternative action to deal with his opponent.

With a lot on the line in Sunday's contest, a card for Lodi looks good at 11/4.

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