Salzburg v Al Hilal Bet Builder Stats & Predictions
Salzburg v Al Hilal
Kick Off: 23:00, Sunday 22nd June
Competition: Club World Cup
Watch Live: DAZN
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Salzburg will be hoping to build on their victory in their opening game at the Club World Cup against Pachuca. Al Hilal put in a decent performance themselves in claiming a 1-1 draw against one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Real Madrid.
This is a crucial game for both sides, who could find themselves in a position to top the group or qualify if Real Madrid continue to perform like they did in their opening game of the Club World Cup. Al Hilal are managed by former Inter boss, Simone Inzaghi – a manager that has made a habit of performing well in these group stage and knockout competitions.
Match Stats: Youth v Experience
Salzburg’s squad is littered with players who are likely to go on to have very successful careers in European football. Players like Oscar Gloukh and Nene Dorgeles are already being tracked by some of the top clubs around the world and showed their talent in their 2-1 win over Pachuca in their opening game of the Club World Cup, which has put them in a promising position to progress from the group.
Recruiting youth has long been the motto of Salzburg, who often rake in a tidy profit from their future stars when they make the move to European heavyweights. Al Hilal employ a completely different approach in prioritising experience with the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, and Kalidou Koulibaly already having established careers in Europe – they also showed against Real Madrid that they can still compete with the European sides.
The contrast in age profiles of the squad shouldn’t hinder the goal output in this game. Al Hilal should be able to welcome back top scorer Alexander Mitrovic who would add a clinical element which they were missing against Real Madrid. Salzburg’s energetic approach with their young core should also promise goals as their triumph over Pachuca displayed – Salzburg will be further motivated by the fact that a win here would guarantee their progression through to the knockout stages and would allow them to rotate the side in the final group game.
Predictions
- BTTS
- A goal scored in both halves – Yes.
Shots Stats: Mitrovic and Gloukh the standouts
Mitrovic missed out on Al Hilal’s Club World Cup opener against Real Madrid after picking up an injury in training on the evening before the fixture. He should be fit enough to step back into the frame here, and will be crucial for Al Hilal as their top scorer over the last two seasons.
Mitrovic scored 28 goals across his 36 appearances across all competitions for Al Hilal during the 24/25 season, underscoring the threat he can cause Salzburg here. Mitrovic netted 40 goals across his 43 appearances during the 23/24 season, so he has remained a reliable goal threat since he departed the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League.
Oscar Gloukh has been earmarked by some of the top sides around Europe for his performances in recent seasons. He scored against Pachuca in Salzburg’s opening game of the Club World Cup and may find himself in advanced positions again here due to an injury to the regular number nine, Karim Konate. Nene Dorgeles is also a player worth watching for shots here, he had three against Pachuca in the opening group game.
Predictions –
- Alexander Mitrovic to score anytime
- Oscar Gloukh to score/assist
- Oscar Gloukh 1+ shots on target
- Nene Dorgeles 2+ shots
Cards Stats: Keep an eye on Neves and Bidstrup
Bidstrup was heavily involved in the off-the-ball activity in Salzburg’s 2-1 win over Pachuca. He made the most tackles of any player on the pitch (four) and won all nine of his duels in a performance which earned him the Player of the Match tag. It’s unlikely that Bidstrup will be able to put every foot right as he did against Pachuca here, where he’ll be regularly tested by the Al Hilal frontline.
Bidstrup was shown five cards across his 30 appearances for Salzburg during the 24/25 season, only Moussa Yeo (six) picked up more yellow cards during the most recent campaign than Bidstrup, further showing how often he gets stuck into challenges.
On the other side of the field, Ruben Neves stands out as a player that could get sucked into a midfield battle. Neves received six yellow cards across his 26 appearances for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League during the 24/25 season – no player in the Al Hilal squad received more cautions during the most recent campaign. Neves committed a foul and was shown a yellow card in Al Hilal’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in their opening group game.
Predictions –
- Ruben Neves to be shown a card
- Mads Bidstrup to be shown a card
By: @AndysBetClubUK
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Andreas Schaad – FC Red Bull Salzburg