SK Brann vs Red Bull Salzburg: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Wednesday, in the second round of Champions League qualification, Red Bull Salzburg will play their first match of the new season away to SK Brann.

As they both start their journeys to the league phase here, this first leg will be held at Brann Stadion in Bergen and will be the first encounter between the two teams.

Previous Matches and Head-to-Head

Brann, a team amid their league season, is expected to face Salzburg in their first Champions League match in 17 years. Despite winning their previous three matches at Brann Stadion, Brann lost 2-0 away to KFUM Oslo, dropping them to third place and six points behind the leaders. The hosts will be eager to put their weekend loss behind them in this match, especially as league leaders Viking have lost in recent weeks. Brann has played in the Conference League for the past two years, but they have never advanced beyond the qualifying stage.

With their new position in the Champions League, Brann has a good chance of playing in the league phase games, and even if they lose, they still have a chance of making the Conference League playoffs. However, facing Salzburg, the most fantastic club in the tournament thus far, will be a challenging task. The Austrians have advanced to the group stage or league phase in each of the last six seasons and had a European representative in the Club World Cup last summer.

Salzburg will face three rounds of dangerous qualifiers this year due to their failure to win the Austrian Bundesliga for a second consecutive season. Manager Thomas Letsch can focus on the cup match against Dietach, where his team is the favorite.

SK Brann x Red Bull Salzburg Team News

Even though Brann had Eivind Fauske Helland sent off and Japhet Sery Larsen banned over the weekend, both players will be eligible for this matchup. However, Brann will be without Helland in their next league match due to suspension.

The hosts may make a few changes from the team that lost in Oslo on Saturday due to injuries sustained by Niklas Castro (ankle), Sakarias Opsahl (foot), Jonas Torsvik (groin), and Fredrik Knudsen (knee).

Although Saevar Magnusson has not yet made his official debut for Brann, he scored in his first outing earlier this month. However, that might change this midweek.

There have been no notable arrivals in the transfer market, and Salzburg will be without Moussa Kounfolo Yeo, Karim Konate, and Takumu Kawamura for the first leg due to injuries.

Playing in last week's friendly against Derby County, goalkeeper Alexander Schlager and midfielder Mads Bidstrup made their comeback from recent ailments.

Our predictions

Salzburg to win @ 2.20 on Sky247.ng

Despite Salzburg's struggles over the previous two years, it seems doubtful that 17 years after their last appearance at this level, Brann will have what it takes to contend with them throughout the two legs.

The visitors' primary concern will be weariness; however, they have an extensive enough roster to rest and rotate players, so they should be able to take some confidence into the second leg.

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