RB Salzburg will be hosting Brest in the second match day of the 2024 Champions League.
Salzburg are coming off a 3-0 rout in their previous match at Sparta Prague, looking to turn things around after being outplayed by a team that had only 29% of the ball in that contest.
Brest were able to secure a 2-1 victory in their previous Champions League match against Sturm Graz, a team that currently sits atop the Austrian Bundesliga, controlling the match in every facet.
Let’s get into my preview for RB Salzburg vs. Brest.
RB Salzburg vs. Brest Odds, Picks, Prediction
| RB Salzburg Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-0.5 -134 | 2.5 -138o / +110u | -134 |
| Brest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+0.5 +105 | 2.5 -138o / +110u | +375 |
- RB Salzburg vs. Brest moneyline odds: RB Salzburg -134, Brest +375, Draw +270
- RB Salzburg vs. Brest over/under: 2.5 goals (over -138, under +110)
- RB Salzburg vs. Brest pick: RB Salzburg ML
I am backing RB Salzburg ML in Brest vs. RB Salzburg.
RB Salzburg Preview
Sitting third in the Austrian Bundesliga with three wins, one draw and one loss in their last five league matches, new manager Pepijn Lijnders seems to be starting his career with Salzburg on a positive note. After being an assistant at Liverpool for the last seven seasons, he’s looking to make a name for himself amongst the numerous other top-flight Dutch managers in European football.
In Salzburg’s previous five league matches they have only conceded three goals, making the 3-0 final score in their match against the lukewarm favorite Sparta Prague more interesting as they conceded a month’s worth of goals in one match. After watching the highlights, I believe this total was inflated a bit by the poor goalkeeping from Janis Blaswich, who has since kept a clean sheet in both matches he has played since this match against Sparta Prague.
One player who seemed to have a positive performance for Salzburg in their previous Champions League fixture was Stefan Bajcetic, a Liverpool loanee who I presume was a top choice for Pepijn Lijnders to help him start strong as a new head coach.
Salzburg are actually a very competent offensive team, averaging just over 18 shots a game with eight on target in the Austrian Bundesliga. We should see more of this in the upcoming fixture against Brest, a team that struggles to keep the ball out of the back of their own net, especially on the road.
Brest Preview
Coming off a 2-1 victory in their first Champions League match, Brest face a tougher contest going on the road to Salzburg for their second fixture. When comparing their statistics at home vs. on the road, it really is a tale of two teams. At home, Brest are averaging over 2 goals per match and over 1.5 goals conceded. But on the road, Brest are averaging below 0.5 goals scored and over 2.5 goals conceded this season. Yikes.
This is especially surprising to see with two veteran defenders in Jordan Amavi and Kenny Lala, two proven defenders who both have over 100 appearances for bigger clubs in Europe. This could boil down to the poor managing of Eric Roy, who was appointed manager in the 2023 season for Brest with his only experience as a manager being in the 2010-2011 season for Nice. With all of these key points about Brest being public knowledge, this could be exactly what Salzburg need to get right in the early stages of the Champions League.
RB Salzburg vs. Brest Prediction
Early indications lead me to believe that this could be one-way traffic for Salzburg after highlighting their offense prowess and the defensive incompetencies of Brest, especially on the road.
With Salzburg being only -130 on the moneyline, I think that price is enough to make me interested, as it is very likely Salzburg will score at some point in this match and the same can’t really be said about Brest.
Pick: RB Salzburg ML (-130 via DraftKings)
How to Watch Champions League: Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria |
| Date: | Tuesday, October 1 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12:45 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | Paramount+ / YouTube TV, Fubo |
