Liverpool vs Red Bull Salzburg preview, predicted XI, team news and more
Group E of the Champions League will go down the wire on the final day of the group stages. Current holders Liverpool are leading the pack with 10 points, followed by Napoli and Red Bull Salzburg who have 9 and 7 points respectively. None of these three teams has so far managed to qualify for the knockout stages, and all of them will be looking for a positive result to move forward.
Napoli require a win or a draw against Genk to secure qualification, whereas Liverpool just need to avoid defeat. However, a victory for RB Salzburg would see them advance over the Reds due to the head-to-head rule, and the club is going to give it their all at their home ground this Tuesday night.
Liverpool vs RB Salzburg head to head
Both Liverpool and Salzburg are top of their respective leagues at the moment and both are undefeated in their domestic leagues. When the two sides met at Anfield over two months ago, Liverpool just managed to come out on top. The Reds went 3-0 up against the Austrian side, but the visitors scored three goals without reply. Eventually, they just came up short and ended up losing the game 4-3.
Liverpool have been ruthless in the Premier League, drawing only one game so far. Salzburg has also been in supreme form in their league, and sit just two points behind Napoli in Group E.
Liverpool form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Salzburg form (all competitions): DWDWDW
Liverpool vs RB Salzburg team news
Liverpool - Defensive midfielder Fabinho is out for the entire month, and he will be the Reds' most crucial miss in this game. Centre-back Dejan Lovren was subbed off during the weekend's Premier League game, and although the injury is not expected to be severe, it is highly unlikely that he features in this game. Midfielders Adam Lallana, Naby Keita, Gini Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are fit and should be in contention to start.
Injuries - Dejan Lovren, Fabinho, Joel Matip
Salzburg - Sekou Koita, Patrick Farkas and Antoine Bernede are absent for the hosts, but goalkeeper Cican Stankovic is back after overcoming a thigh injury. Erling Haland is expected to lead the Salzburg squad in this do-or-die fixture.
Injuries - Koita, Farkas, Bernede
Liverpool vs RB Salzburg predicted XI
Liverpool predicted XI: Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
Salzburg predicted XI: Cican Stankovic; Rasmus Kristensen, Jerome Onguene, Maximilian Wober, Andreas Ulmer; Enock Mwepu, Zlatko Junuzovic, Dominik Szoboszlai, Takumi Minamino; Patson Daka, Erling Haaland
Liverpool vs RB Salzburg prediction
This game could be one which shocks the world, as a victory for Red Bull Salzburg would knock the defending champions out in the group stages. However, Liverpool have their main players well-rested and in-form, whereas bench options such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Oxlade-Chamberlain are finding their flow at the right moment. Despite Salzburg's home advantage and the absence of Fabinho, it is hard to fathom Liverpool losing this game with so much on the line.
Verdict - RB Salzburg 2-3 Liverpool