Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg Prediction: Back a Salomon strike in Cincinnati

The first-ever meeting between Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg takes place at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday (23:00 BST, DAZN), with both sides looking to make a positive start to their 2025 Fifa Club World Cup campaign.

Below are my Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this game in Group H.

Team News

Pachuca's attack will be spearheaded by their talisman, Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon, formerly of West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Everton. The 35-year-old has been a huge success in Mexico, scoring 36 goals in 67 appearances for Tuzos, and one would think he will have to be at his best if his side have any designs on reaching the knockouts, with Real Madrid and Al Hilal the other two teams in Group H.

Moroccan winger Oussama Idrissi may be another name familiar to a European audience, having made his name in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, among others, and experiencing a brief spell in Spain with Sevilla.

Pachuca Club World Cup Preview

Fluminense loanee John Kennedy, who scored an extra-time winner for the Brazilians in the 2023 Copa Libertadores Final against Boca Juniors, has scored nine times in 20 outings since moving to Mexico earlier this year, and he's expected to start alongside Rondon and Idrissi in the forward line.

Salzburg's youthful squad features 21-year-old attacking midfielder Oscar Gloukh, who scored 10 goals in 26 Austrian Bundesliga appearances this season, and 22-year-old winger Dorgeles Nene, who went three better than his teammate in the league, albeit in four more games.

Head coach Thomas Letsch is unable to call upon several first-teamers due to injury, however.

Red Bull Salzburg Club World Cup Preview

Karim Konate, Samson Tijani (both knee) and Nicolas Capaldo (toe) have all stayed at home to recover from their problems, while ex-Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark was left out of the Roten Bullen's Club World Cup squad after falling out of favour under Letsch.

Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg Odds

Pachuca, who have made a joint-national record five prior appearances at the Club World Cup, are the slightest of underdogs on Wednesday, with odds of 13/8 implying a 38.1% win probability. Salzburg, meanwhile, are marginal favourites at 8/5 (38.5%).

The draw is priced at 12/5, both teams to score at 8/13, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/5.

Betfred are offering five price boosts on this game, including Pachuca to win, Kennedy to score anytime and both teams to score from 15/2 to 9/1.

Price Boost - Salomon Rondon (PAC) to Score at Anytime @ 7/4 2/1

I backed Rondon to score first in Venezuela's 2026 World Cup qualifier with Bolivia on June 6, and while he failed to open the scoring in Maturin, he did net the second and final goal of the game in the 30th minute.

His anytime price for that match wasn't worth backing, really, but his odds for Wednesday's contest with Salzburg have been boosted, from 7/4 to 2/1, which has piqued my interest.

Rondon is Pachuca's main man, hitting double figures in both of his league campaigns with the club, and last year, he scooped the Golden Boot for scoring nine goals in seven games during their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup title run.

Today's Football Fixtures

The veteran forward arrives at this tournament having been responsible for five of Pachuca's last nine efforts, so he's the obvious man to back for the Mexicans in midweek, especially against a Salzburg defence that failed to keep a clean sheet in their final three league games, and recorded just one shutout in their last nine.

Player to Have 2 or More Shots - Oussama Idrissi (PAC) @ 1/1

I think this is on the generous side, given there are 13 names listed at a shorter price than the Moroccan.

Idrissi is a regular starter for Pachuca, beginning 17 of his 19 Clausura outings this year, and 14 of his 16 Apertura appearances in the second half of 2024. His shots-per-game average in each was 1.2, but in last year's Concacaf Champions Cup, he was averaging two.

The last time he recorded two efforts at goal was in Pachuca's 2-1 victory over Monterrey on April 28, when he missed the target with a 56th-minute effort before forcing a save from the goalkeeper with an attempt in the 87th minute.

Football Odds

The 29-year-old shot 2+ times in six of his 17 Clausura starts this calendar year, and given Pachuca will be going all out to win this game, with contests against Real Madrid and Al Hilal to come, I'm expecting Idrissi's, and Tuzos', shot count to be higher than normal, so EVS on a couple of efforts looks good to me, particularly against a Salzburg back line that shipped seven goals in their final three matches of the league season.

Offers

Wednesday: Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Club World Cup match played on Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Club World Cup matches.

Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven: Get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a 2nd or 3rd in all Premier League matches on Sunday

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

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