Match for the 1st round of the Europa League’s League Phase, at Stadion Salzburg, home of Salzburg.
Match Facts
- Three of Salzburg’s 4 European games this season saw both teams scoring.
- 7 of their last 8 games last season ended with over 2.5 goals.
- Salzburg lost all four of their home games in the League Phase of last season’s Champions League, conceding 13 and scoring just 1 goal.
- Four of Porto’s last 5 games in Europe ended with under 2.5 goals.
- Half of Porto’s games in the League Phase of last season’s Europa League saw BTTS + Over 2.5 goals, while the other half ended with BTTS: No + Under 2,5 Goals.
- Three of Porto’s 4 away League Phase games last season saw BTTS + Over 2.5 goals.
Betting Tip: Salzburg - Porto
Porto are the favourites here, and for good, as they have started the season in excellent form. Salzburg, on the other hand, are still finding their footing. The odds are particularly appealing for Porto to win.
- Prediction: Porto win
- Odds: 2.25 (at the time of writing)
Salzburg
Salzburg’s performances in the League Phase of last season’s Champions League were disappointing, especially at home, where they lost all four of their games. Only Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys did worse than the three points Salzburg managed to get.
Their league performances started off equally disappointing. Things turned around a bit after Christmas, following a managerial change, and the team came close to the championship, losing it narrowly to Sturm Graz.
This season’s European journey started off in the second qualifying round of the Champions League against Norwegian side Brann. They overcame the Norwegians with a strong performance in the first game at home (4-1, 1-1). Their next opponent was Belgian Champions Club Brugge, and the latter proved too much for Salzburg (0-1, 2-3).
The Austrians instead headed to the Europa League. German manager Thomas Letsch remains in charge. The team lost several players, namely Oscar Gloukh (Attacking midfield, Ajax), Dorgeles Nene (winger, Fenerbahce), Amar Dedic (right back, Benfica), and Samson Baidoo (centre back, Lens).
Porto
Every season, Porto's failure to win the domestic championship is a failed season, especially when they’re not seriously challenging for it. That was the case last season when Porto finished in third place and never really were in contention. They participated in the League Phase of the Europa League and finished in 18th place with 11 points (13-11 goal differential). They were knocked out by Roma in the first knockout round.
A new manager is at the helm, as Italian Farioli took over. Their start to the season has been fantastic, as they’ve won six consecutive league games to start. They visited Rio Ave on Friday and came away with a convincing win, thanks to goals by Rosario, Samu, and Veiga.
The team parted ways with Otavio (centre back, Paris FC), Joao Mario (right midfield, Juventus), and Goncalo Borges (winger, Feyenoord), while adding Victor Froholdt (central midfield, Copenhagen), Gabri Veiga (attacking midfield, Al Ahli SFC), and Alberto Costa (right back, Juventus).
