Real Sociedad vs RB Salzburg
Real Sociedad have already confirmed their passage to the knockout stage of the 2023-24 Champions League, but they aren’t going to rest on their laurels because the top spot in Group D remains up for grabs.
With 10 points after the first four matchdays, La Real are level with second-seeded Inter Milan, so this home game against RB Salzburg is going to be important, as is Inter Milan’s upcoming away match at Benfica.
Imanol Alguacil’s men are in good form, with back-to-back La Liga wins against Almeria and nine-man Sevilla to improve to sixth in the league standings.
Meanwhile, RB Salzburg remain on top of the Austrian Bundesliga table with a four-game unbeaten run, although they have yet to translate that into some Champions League success.
Talking Points
Alguacil expected to rotate his squad
Real Sociedad’s date with RB Salzburg is their second match in four days, and with a Saturday away game against Osasuna after tomorrow, Imanol Alguacil has to make the most of his squad depth.
An example of this is in their game against Sevilla, where Alguacil started Takefusa Kubo over Mikel Oyarzabal, while Igor Zubeldia started over Aritz Elustondo in the centre-half.
With all of them performing well recently, this is a good problem to have if you’re Alguacil because his team won’t skip a beat regardless of who he puts into his starting XI.
The return of Mikel Oyarzabal from injury is certainly a major boost for La Real, especially after he was forced to withdraw from the Spanish national team during the international break.
He pulled out due to a hamstring problem. And given his injury history, including a torn ACL last year, there were valid concerns over his fitness. So far, so good for La Real because Oyarzabal is back to his lethal form, top-scoring for the team with nine goals this season.
Other than Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad have other attacking threats like Brais Mendez and Takefusa Kubo, who are capable of producing Champions League 2023 highlights against the Red Bulls, while Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi are a handful to deal with in midfield.
RB Salzburg to showcase their starlets
Karim Konate, Lucas Gourna-Douath, and Oscar Gloukh are the three players to watch out for at RB Salzburg. And reports state that several Premier League sides are apparently interested in all three of them.
Konate has taken over as the Red Bulls’ No. 9 following the departure of Benjamin Sesko to RB Leipzig this summer. The 19-year-old is the team’s leading scorer, with eight goals so far this term.
Lucas Gourna-Douath is a physical presence in midfield for RB Salzburg. The former Saint-Etienne man has been the team’s go-to option off the bench.
Oscar Gloukh is another diamond in the rough for RB Salzburg. The 19-year-old Israeli international actually scored his first career Champions League goal in their 2-0 win over Benfica last September.
History
Wednesday marks the third-ever meeting between Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg, and their head-to-heads are all square, with both sides winning, losing, and drawing once.
In the reverse fixture last October, Real Sociedad beat RB Salzburg 2-0, as Mikel Oyarzabal and Brais Mendez found the back of the net in the first half.
Prior to that, RB Salzburg and Real Sociedad met in the 2017-18 Europa League Round of 32, where the former won with a 4-3 aggregate tally after a 2-2 draw in the first leg and a 2-1 victory in the second leg.
RB Salzburg have won just one of 10 previous European away matches in Spain (D3, L6), with their last victory coming against Villarreal in the 2009-10 Europa League group stage.
And if they lose tomorrow, the Red Bulls will have a four-game losing streak for the first time ever in the Champions League.
Betting Tip
The SBOTOP Champions League 2023 odds favour Real Sociedad to beat RB Salzburg again on Wednesday evening. The hosts are priced at 1.48 to win, while RB Salzburg are at 5.60 odds, and a draw is at 4.10 in the 1X2 market.
With a full squad to choose from for La Real, their overall quality alone should be enough to sweep aside a young and inexperienced RB Salzburg side.
The Red Bulls’ best chance of winning another Champions League match is their upcoming tiff against Benfica after taking on Real Sociedad.
For alternative bets, Total Goal 0-1 at 3.70 should do the job for La Real, but Total Goal 2-3 at 1.95 seems like a better option.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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