Who will grasp at the last straw?
Twelve years ago, both teams faced each other in the Europa League round of 16. Twelve years later, however, both Red Bull Salzburg and FC Basel would be eliminated prematurely after six of eight matches in the league phase of Europe’s second most important club competition.
The Swiss are only in 26th place with six points out of a possible 18. The Austrians are five places behind in 31st place with only three points. If Red Bull Salzburg beat FC Basel away, the Red Bulls would be out of the competition early.
While the visitors from Basel still have a chance of finishing in the top 24, Salzburg would not be in a very good position even with a home win against the Red and Blues. Nevertheless, the Red Bulls, who have already lost five games in the Europa League main round in the 2025/26 season (one win) – and thus suffered more defeats than in their 35 group games (or league phase games) before (25-6-4) – must try everything once again.
Considering that FCB has lost all four of its European away games this season, we find the greatest value in betting that both teams will score.
Overall, this match could also tend to be high-scoring, especially since only a win counts for both teams. Only under special circumstances would Basel secure a useful starting position with a draw, allowing them to book their place in the knockout stages with a home win against Viktoria Plzeň next week. However, hoping for help from others cannot be the approach. In this respect, we expect two opponents who will grasp at straws and engage in an open exchange of blows.
Red Bull Salzburg – FC Basel Head-to-head record
Head to head: 0 – 1 – 1
The two teams have crossed paths once before in the Europa League. In 2013/14, Red Bull Salzburg and FC Basel faced each other in the knockout stages. In the round of 16, the match in Switzerland ended in a 0–0 draw, before the Red and Blues booked their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 2–1 away win in the return leg in Mozart’s city.
Red Bull Salzburg – FC Basel Tip
Both teams had actually planned to advance to the knockout stages of the Europa League, but failed to achieve this goal after six of eight matchdays. The Mozart city team in particular disappointed across the board with five defeats in six games (one win). However, the Swiss champions have also lost all four of their European away games in the 2025/26 season and are therefore under considerable pressure at the Salzburg stadium, which must be taken into account in the Red Bull Salzburg vs. FC Basel prediction.
A draw would not help either team. While the Red Bulls are four points behind in 24th place and their chances are slim anyway, needing all six points to still hope for realistic support, a single point would almost certainly not be enough for the Bebbi either. After a possible feeling-out phase, an offensive exchange of blows is therefore to be expected.
Accordingly, the tip that both teams will score is a logical one, for which Red Bull Salzburg vs. FC Basel betting odds of 1.50 are being offered, which we are betting on with six out of ten units.
