Will Salzburg prevail against the struggling Slovenians?
Our Celje vs. Red Bull Salzburg prediction is shaped by the fact that the Slovenian champions are in the midst of a deep crisis. The Grofje (meaning “the Counts”) have earned just 16 points from their first eleven league games and sit in sixth place, eight points behind league-leading Maribor.
In the Europa League, they also got off to a zero-point start with a 0–5 goal difference, leaving the Slovenians in second-to-last place. Even the coaching change from Vitor Campelos to Zoran Zeljkovic has yet to have an effect. Under the new coach, the reigning national champions have failed to score in four of five competitive matches.
Admittedly, the Celje vs. Red Bull Salzburg prediction must also take into account that the visitors from the City of Mozart, for their part, were just crushed 0–4 by AC Milan in front of their home crowd last Thursday. On the road, however, the Red Bulls have yet to lose in nine competitive matches of the 2026–27 season (five wins, four draws). What’s more: Danny Röhl’s team has kept a clean sheet in five of their last six away games. The signs therefore point to a low-scoring match in Slovenia, which is why we’re favoring the “under 2.5 goals” bet.
The biggest cause for concern was NK Celje’s recent 0–3 loss to Omonia Nicosia—an opponent that actually seemed within their reach. Instead of building confidence in that match, however, Coach Zeljkovic rested his creative midfielder Mario Kvesic, among others, so that he would be fresh for the important derby against Maribor (0–0). So it’s fair to ask just how seriously the Grofje are taking the Europa League at all. If they once again choose to rest their key players, the home team’s goal against the defensively strong Red Bull Salzburg will be anything but a sure thing.
Celje – Red Bull Salzburg Head-to-Head Record
Head-to-Head: 0 – 0 – 0
Never before has an international competitive match taken place between these two teams. Consequently, there is no “head-to-head” data available that could influence our Celje vs. Red Bull Salzburg prediction in any way.
Celje vs. Red Bull Salzburg Prediction
The struggling Slovenians may once again rest one or two key players from their starting lineup following their recent 0–0 draw against Maribor and with an important cup match coming up on Sunday. However, Salzburg will inevitably have to rotate as well, since Danny Röhl fielded nearly the same starting lineup just three days after the 0–4 loss to AC Milan in their 3–0 home win against Altach. Moreover, the Red Bulls are set to face LASK in a top-of-the-table clash this weekend. As a result, the two teams facing off on Thursday night may lack the automatic coordination and synergy needed for a high-pressure, attacking style of play.
Consequently, a rather tight match is highly likely. While the Grofje have failed to score in four of their five competitive matches under new coach Zeljkovic, the defensively strong Austrians have also kept a clean sheet in five of their last six away games. All of this points to a low-scoring game, which is why we recommend betting on under 2.5 goals.
