Salzburg host Milan with slight form edge in Europa League opener
Red Bull Salzburg and AC Milan meet at the Red Bull Arena on 15 October as both clubs look to build momentum in the Europa League league stage, with the hosts carrying the slightly stronger recent record into the fixture.
Salzburg have won two of their last five outings, drawn two and lost one, a sequence that reads DLWWD, while Milan have managed a single win from their five, with three draws and a loss, shown as DWLDD.
A history tilted towards Milan
The two sides have met twice before, both times in the UEFA Champions League. Milan won 4-0 in Milan back in November 2022, and the reverse fixture in Salzburg that September finished 1-1. Those meetings give the Italian side the stronger head-to-head record heading into this latest encounter.
With Salzburg hosting again, the draw from that September 2022 match offers a reminder that the Austrian side have been competitive against Milan on their own ground before.
What is at stake
This is matchday two of the league stage, and both clubs will be keen to pick up points early as the competition's extended format rewards consistency across a longer set of fixtures. Salzburg's recent two wins suggest some encouraging momentum, while Milan will look to arrest a mixed run that has yielded only one victory in their last five matches.
Neither side arrives with a flawless record, which should make for a closely contested meeting at the Red Bull Arena.