Aston Villa
- Aston Villa have been strong throughout the group stages of the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 and sit in second place with 18 points from seven games.
- Villa have won each of their three home matches, conceding just once.
- With a perfect Europa League home record, and a 2-0 win over Newcastle and a 1-0 victory at Fenerbahce behind them, Villa come into this game in good form, winning two in a row.
- Unai Emery has instilled a clinical, possession-based system at Aston Villa, and they play a rigid 4-2-3-1.
FC Red Bull Salzburg
- FC Red Bull Salzburg have won three and lost two of their last five games.
- Salzburg have won each of their last two matches, a 3-1 win over Basel in the Europa League and a 2-0 away win against Red Star Belgrade.
- With just six points from their first seven games, they sit in 28th place in the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026.
- Letsch took over at FC Red Bull Salzburg in December 2024 and has since reinvigorated their all-action, all-out pressing style.
- They field a high-energy 4-2-2-2, looking to press and win the ball high up the pitch, allowing their forwards to attack at pace.
- They have split their last two away games, winning one and losing one, but have lost all three Europa League trips this term, scoring just once en route to zero points.
Head-to-Head
This is the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, and it will be interesting to see how Emery’s chessboard tactics match up against Thomas Letsch’s vertical style.
FC Red Bull Salzburg
- Kerim Alajbegovic has scored four of Salzburg’s last six goals and has been their main man in attack since Letsch’s appointment.
- Yorbe Vertessen tops their Europa League scoring chart with three goals in seven appearances.
Aston Villa
- Ollie Watkins has scored three of Villa’s last six in all competitions and looks the most likely anytime scorer.
- Evann Guessand has scored two in seven in the Europa League.
Betting Insights
- Both teams to score is a favorable 1.7, and with the possibility of a Villa rotation, this could be a more open contest than the odds suggest.
- Villa are 1.45 favorites for this clash, which seems generous considering Salzburg are 6.0, but with Villa’s home form and Salzburg’s struggles on the road, the value lies with the hosts here.
Prediction
- Villa to win and concede.
- With Villa’s home form and Salzburg’s struggles on the road, the value lies with the hosts.
