Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea Betting Tips – Friendly, 31st July 19.00pm
Frank Lampard takes his Chelsea troops to the Red Bull Arena to face Jesse Marsch’s Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday evening. Despite being away from home against Austrian football’s biggest club, the Blues are the 4/5 favourites with the bookies, with Salzburg priced at 5/2. In little over a week’s time, Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to Old Trafford to take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United. Meanwhile, Salzburg kicked off their domestic season with a 2-0 win over Rapid Vienna last week. Who will come out on top in this intriguing friendly clash on Wednesday?
Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea Betting Odds*
Red Bull Salzburg 5/2
Draw 13/5
Chelsea 4/5
* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on July 30th, 2019 at 16:33 p.m.)
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Table of Contents
Red Bull Salzburg News and Form – Tough task for the Red Bulls?
Red Bull Salzburg won their 13th Austrian championship last season, finishing nine points clear of runners-up LASK. The Red Bulls were once again the dominant force in Austria, winning 17, drawing four and losing just one of their 22 league matches. Salzburg also reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League.
Red Bull lost the popular Marco Rose in the summer, with the 42-year-old opting to take over at Borussia Monchengladbach. However, they wasted no time in finding a replacement, as American Jesse Marsch – who managed the New York Red Bulls and was assistant manager at Red Bull Leipzig – took over in June.
The Austrian champions started the defence of their title with a comfortable 2-0 win at Rapid Vienna last Friday. Takumi Minamino sent Salzburg on their way with a goal ten minutes before the break, with Masaya Okugawa making sure of the points in the 82nd minute.
Salzburg were incredibly strong at the Red Bull Arena last season, winning 20 and drawing three of their 23 home matches in all competitions. However, they could have their work cut out trying to contain Chelsea on Wednesday.
Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea Head to Head
Wednesday’s friendly at the Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim will be the first time that Red Bull Salzburg and Chelsea have gone head-to-head.
- Chelsea have won just two away league games since the turn of the year
- Salzburg were beaten only once in the Austrian Bundesliga last term
- Red Bull have not lost at home in a competitive match since November 2016
Chelsea News and Form – Blues to prevail in Austria?
Chelsea go into this one having won three of their opening five friendlies. The Blues were involved in a seven-goal thriller with Reading last weekend, going on to secure a 4-3 win over the EFL Championship club at the Madejski Stadium. After facing Red Bull in Salzburg, the Londoners end pre-season with a game against Monchengladbach in Germany.
Chelsea had a very successful season under Maurizio Sarri last time around, finishing third in the Premier League, winning the UEFA Europa League and reaching the Carabao Cup final. Despite that, the fans never really warmed to Sarri, who left for Juventus in the summer. Lampard, who made over 400 Premier League appearances for the Blues, is the new man in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea struggled away from home in the league last term, beating just Cardiff City and Fulham on their travels in 2019. They were exceptionally strong in Europe, though, winning at PAOK, BATE Borisov, MOL Vidi, Malmo, Dynamo Kiev and Slavia Prague. They then thumped London rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final in Baku at the end of May.
All eyes will be on Lampard when the Blues line up against Man Utd at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Before then, though, Chelsea must focus on Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea Tips & Odds
Chelsea to win and both teams to score at 12/5
Over 2.5 Goals at 3/5
* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on July 30th, 2019 at 16:33 p.m.)
Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea Predictions
Chelsea win: With both sides looking for a win, this promises to be an entertaining friendly in the Red Bull Arena. As I mentioned, Salzburg are very strong on home turf, but Chelsea certainly have the better players. I’m backing the Blues to prevail and both teams to score in this one at the tempting odds of 12/5. I also fancy over 2.5 goals (3/5) to be scored in Austria.
