Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow
21 October 1755hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick Both teams to score
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 8/11 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 20 October
The Champions League returns this week and the two underdogs in Group A as Salzburg host Lokomotiv Moscow with both teams knowing they have to pick up points to have any chance of progression.
Table of Contents
- 1 Salzburg Preview – Can Austrians begin campaign with a win as they look to make group stages of the first time?
- 2 Lokomotiv Moscow Preview – Will Lokomotiv pick up their first points in the Champions League since match day one of last season?
- 3 Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow Betting Advice
- 4 Best Betting Odds for Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow
Salzburg Preview – Can Austrians begin campaign with a win as they look to make group stages of the first time?
Jesse Marsch is about to embark on his second Champions League group stage campaign and it happens to be just the second time that Salzburg as a club will be competing in this phase. It says something of the impact that the American has had since taking over last year that he has been able to achieve this twice when his predecessors failed year after year.
Their first appearance was one that earned a lot of praise but ultimately ended with a third place finish in a group that included Liverpool and Napoli. As we have come to expect with the Austrian champions, there is a new look to their team with key players having moved on.
Lokomotiv Moscow Preview – Will Lokomotiv pick up their first points in the Champions League since match day one of last season?
A runners-up finish behind Zenit St Petersburg was good enough to see Lokomotiv qualify directly for the group stages of the Champions League for a third straight season. It will be welcome news for the Russians who were competing in the competition for the first time in 15 years back in 2018. The big challenge for them is attempting to reach the knockout stages which has been beyond them in the last two attempts.
In their previous two campaigns, Lokomotiv have won two and lost 10 of their 12 group games. They have come in very different ways when defeating Galatasaray at home having already been knocked out in 2018/19 before winning their first game last year and failing to pick up a point after that.
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After a decidedly disappointing start to their domestic campaign Lokomotiv have hit some form of late. They’re unbeaten in five matches and have won their last four to rise up to fourth place and just three points behind the joint leaders.
As has become then norm with this team, their success has been built on an excellent defence. Lokomotiv have conceded just seven goals in their 11 league games this season.
Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow Betting Advice
This is a fascinating clash between two teams who have very different styles. Salzburg continue to throttle teams and have scored 35 goals in their last 10 games across all competitions. Their opponents are very different in their approach, scoring just 12 goals in 11 league games.
Clearly this will be a step up for both in terms of quality but it’s the hosts who are big favourites to get the three points.
Key Facts – Salzburg vs Lokomotiv Moscow Betting Tip
- Salzburg seen off Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-2 in the playoff qualifier
- Lokomotiv won only one of their six group stages games last year, losing their other five
- Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich meet in the other group game and are big favourites to progress
In many ways this is a similar sort of game to how Salzburg opened their campaign last season. They faced Genk on that occasion and cruised to a 6-2 win. It may not contain as many goals this time around but having conceded in six of their last seven I’m banking on both teams scoring in this game.
