Preview: Red Bull Salzburg vs Basel - prediction, team news, lineups

Basel will travel to Austria to take on Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday in the penultimate round of Europa League league-phase fixtures.

The visitors trail the top 24 by one point, while their hosts likely need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Match preview

Red Bull Salzburg return to Europa League action on Thursday in search of a much-needed victory to boost their faint hopes of progressing to the playoff round.

The Austrian outfit have endured a tough run in Europe's secondary competition thus far, winning one and losing five of their six league-phase games, with the solitary victory coming at home to Go Ahead Eagles in early November.

Die Rotten Bullen have failed to climb up the league-phase table since, though, going on to lose 4-1 and 1-0 away at Bologna and Freiburg respectively in late 2025.

Thomas Letsch's side now head into their first game of the new year on the back of a break, having most recently beaten Wolfsberger 2-1 in mid-December to stay three points clear at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga in their bid to regain the domestic title they last won in 2023.

Trailing the final playoff places by four points with two league-phase games remaining, Red Bull Salzburg will play their final home game of this stage in desperate need of a second victory of their continental campaign.

© Imago / Pius Koller

Their visitors, meanwhile, arrive in Austria aiming to bridge a smaller gap to the top 24 in their bid to progress to European knockout football for the first time since their run to the Conference League semi-finals in 2023.

Basel enjoyed a relatively positive start to the 2025-26 Europa League bid, winning two of their first four games, both of which came at home.

They have failed to add to the tally of six points in two further attempts since, though, going on to lose 2-1 away at Genk and at home to Aston Villa before the turn of the year, leaving them having lost all three away matches in the league phase, conceding six goals and only scoring two in those.

Ludovic Magnin's side returned to action for the first time in 2026 at the weekend, hosting Sion and playing out a 1-1 draw to remain fourth in the Swiss Super League, having been pegged back after Flavius Daniliuc's early opener.

Now trailing the Europa League playoff places by a single point with two outings remaining, Basel will hope to end their difficult away run on Thursday and climb into the top 24 with a victory in Salzburg.

Red Bull Salzburg Europa League form:

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Red Bull Salzburg form (all competitions):

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Basel Europa League form:

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Basel form (all competitions):

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Team News

© Imago / Geisser

Red Bull Salzburg will remain without Takumu Kawamura and John Mellberg on Thursday due to long-term injuries.

Their most notable absentee is key attacker and top scorer Petar Ratkov, though, after he got sent off in their last Europa League outing, meaning Yorbe Vertessen will likely be relied upon to lead the line.

Karim Onisiwo and 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic will also compete to come into the forward line alongside Edmond Baidoo, who has scored seven goals this term, while Soumaila Diabate and Mads Bidstrup should reform their partnership in the engine room following the month away from competitive action.

Basel remain without several important players through injuries, with Keigo Tsunemoto, Philip Otele, Metinho and Moritz Broschinski likely to miss out again.

Albian Ajeti and Kaio Eduardo will compete to lead the line with support from talismanic captain Xherdan Shaqiri, who has racked up 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 appearances this season after starring with 18 and 21 respectively in last year's Swiss Super League.

Benie Traore is another attacking threat on the wing in the absence of the likes of Otele, while 18-year-old Andred Bacanin and Leo Leroy should continue to partner up in the engine room.

Red Bull Salzburg possible starting lineup:

Schlager; Lainer, Gadou, Rasmussen, Terzic; Bidstrup, Diabate; Baidoo, Alajbegovic, Onisiwo; Vertessen

Basel possible starting lineup:

Hitz; Ruegg, Daniliuc, Adjetey, Schmid; Bacanin, Leroy; Soticek, Shaqiri, Traore; Ajeti

We say: Red Bull Salzburg 1-1 Basel

Both desperate for a victory in their bid for a top-24 finish in the league phase, we anticipate a tight battle in Austria on Thursday.

With key men missing on both sides, we opt for a draw which could rule the hosts out of a playoff place.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.