Red Bull Salzburg v AC Milan: Preview, predicted line-ups & Europa League tips

Red Bull Salzburg host AC Milan at Red Bull Arena on Thursday in round 2 of the Europa League league stage, with the Italians arriving short of goals and short of points. Milan's only Europa League fixture so far was a 2-0 home defeat by Benfica on 16 September, in which they failed to score from 17 shots, according to the supplied form data. Salzburg have not lost in any of their five Europa League fixtures this season (four wins, one draw). The bookmakers still make Milan favourites at 4/5, with Salzburg and the draw both priced at 29/10 by bet365.

Salzburg's record this season reads W4 D1 L0, with 9 goals scored and 3 conceded across five Europa League fixtures. The best result was a 3-0 home win over Mjallby AIF on 27 August, and the only blemish was a 3-3 draw away at Pafos. They have kept four clean sheets from five, and a 1-0 win at Levski Sofia on 17 September is their latest European result. Domestically, they drew 0-0 with Grazer AK on 10 October, according to a Yahoo Sports preview.

Milan's season data in the competition amounts to one game. The 2-0 loss to Benfica came despite 60% possession, 10 corners and an expected goals figure of 0.96 against 0.64 for the visitors, which suggests the scoreline was harsher than the performance. Their latest fixture was a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo in Serie A, per the same preview.

Neither side has a second leg or aggregate to protect, so rotation is a question of squad depth rather than tie management. Salzburg have a settled core: the last league XI included the same back four and the same attacking quartet that has carried them through Europe, and the thin supplied injury list suggests few forced changes beyond those named below. Milan, after a defeat in round 1, have every reason to field their strongest available side, and the manager's squad is looking to sharpen its continental form after the Sassuolo draw, according to Goal. A second straight loss would leave them chasing from an early stage of a 36-team table.

Salzburg (4-2-3-1): Früchtl; Lainer, Boma, Drexler, Schmid; Krätzig, Barry; Kitano, Lindstrøm, Vertessen; Konaté. That mirrors the XI used against Grazer AK, and no rotation is expected given the unbeaten run.

AC Milan (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Tomori, Gila, Pavlović; Bartesaghi, Modrić, Rabiot, Estupiñán; Pulišić, Loftus-Cheek; Gonçalo Ramos. The 3-4-2-1 was the shape used against Benfica, though changes in personnel are possible after the defeat.

Kick-off at Red Bull Arena is 17:45 BST on Thursday 15 October 2026. The match is shown on TNT Sports where selected, with a Yahoo Sports preview also listing the 17:45 TNT Sports broadcast. This is a league-stage match in round 2, not a two-legged tie, so there is no extra time or penalty shoot-out: the result after 90 minutes stands.