Red Bull Salzburg vs Brann Prediction: Austria’s wonderkid factory looks to a veteran

Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg look to finish the job this Wednesday (19:45) as they face SK Brann in their Champions League second-round qualifier. 

Salzburg finished 34th in the league phase of last season’s competition, while Brann are aiming to qualify for the tournament proper for the first time. The Norwegian side’s best European performance to date saw them reach the knockout phase of the 2007/8 UEFA Cup, where they lost 8-1 on aggregate to Everton. 

Here are my Red Bull Salzburg vs Brann tips ahead of this Champions League encounter.

Team News

As with a lot of the favourites this week, Salzburg are taking a dominant aggregate scoreline into their second leg. Red Bull could choose to shuffle their deck given the 4-1 drubbing they inflicted on Brann in the first fixture. 

Some changes are compulsory. Karim Konate has been out with a cruciate ligament injury since winter, with no clear word on his return. The 21-year-old Kopa Trophy nominee is in-demand, with links to West Ham United and AS Roma abound. But it will be injury rather than transfer window machinations that keep him out of this tie.

John Mellberg, son of Aston Villa legend Olof, is out for three months with a knee injury. Winger Moussa Yeo and Japan international Takumu Kawamura are also laid low with knee complaints. New signing Valentin Sulzbacher is nursing a thigh problem and is likely to miss out.

Football Odds

On the Brann side of the fence, Chile international Niklas Castro, midfielder Niklas Opsahl and defender Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen are back in the squad after long absences. Niklas Jansen Wassberg remains on the shelf with a knee injury that has kept him out of action since January.

Red Bull Salzburg vs Brann Odds

Brann come in as 5/1 underdogs to win on the night, giving them an implied probability of 16.7%. Red Bull are 4/11 to win in 90 minutes while a draw in this second leg is priced at 4/1.

First Goalscorer: Karim Onisiwo @ 9/2

I gave this tip even more thought than usual. I love the First Goalscorer market as it gives you better odds and a lovely bit of jeopardy if watching as a neutral. 

But this was a tough tip to pin down. It is my belief that Salzburg will go in front on the night. However, recent events complicate matters when it comes to identifying the goal-getting culprit.

Oskar Gloukh is usually a solid bet. The attacking midfielder is the latest off the illustrious Salzburg conveyor belt that was once home to summer window talking point Benjamin Sesko, Manchester City goal-demon Erling Haaland and Liverpool icon Sadio Mane.

But Gloukh appears to be on the verge of a move to Ajax, with other European clubs waiting in the wings should the move fail. This furore means he may not play a part on Wednesday night. Gloukh did play in the first leg, but talks with the Amsterdam 

Salzburg won 4-0 at the weekend in the first round of the Austrian Cup against Union Dietach. Only three of the 11 from the first leg against Brann started that game. While goalkeeper Xaver Schlager and defender Jacob Rasmussen were unlikely to enter my thinking, the likelihood that free-scoring forward Nene Dorgeles will be rested does eliminate one candidate.

Which is why I have landed on Karim Onisiwo. While the world focuses on the wonderkids, an underrated part of the Red Bull model is the way the organisation pairs their starlets with experienced pros. Onisiwo is 33 and until last January was playing his football in the German Bundesliga for Mainz. 

Onisiwo only has three goals in 13 games since joining, having suffered with injuries. But he scored in the first leg and manager Thomas Letsch is likely to start him here. I’m backing the Austria international to bag first on a comfortable night for his side.

RB Salzburg to win with a -1 goal handicap @ 1/1

There is often the worry as a viewer that a team will sit on their laurels given an overwhelming first leg lead. But even-money for Salzburg to win on the night with a one-goal handicap is too good to turn down. 

The heavily-rotated 11 is likely to lead to a less cohesive performance than in the first game. But you would still back Salzburg to turn the screw to the tune of a two-goal lead. They hit four away from home. Even if Letsch rests some of his stars and starlets, I still think more than a goal will separate his side from Brann come full time.

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