Anderlecht vs. Salzburg – News and Probable Lineups

The Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg will travel to Belgium for a Europa League match against Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on Thursday.

Currently, the hosts occupy the 22nd position in the Europa League group stage, whereas Salzburg sits one spot higher at 21st by a single point.

Match overview

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Anderlecht secured five European titles, including a UEFA Cup in the 1982-83 season. However, now their main aim is to progress beyond the knockout rounds, even as they aspire to recreate their historic successes with a deep run in the Europa League.

Anderlecht currently finds themselves just above the bottom positions on goal difference, having recorded one win and two losses from their initial three matches in the group stage.

Following two narrow defeats against Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb to start their main draw campaign, Vitor Bruno’s team finally registered a 3-0 victory over Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland.

Unfortunately, they faced a setback with a heavy 4-0 loss to Gent in the Jupiler Pro League, but they responded in style with a 4-1 triumph at home against Westerlo, with goals coming from Mihajlo Cvetkovic, Mario Stroeykens, Theo Aasgaard, and Lukas Ambros.

Despite celebrating a strong win over the weekend, Bruno is under pressure to achieve consistency, having overseen three losses in their last five competitive fixtures.

Most of their difficulties this season have been on the road; however, they should welcome the home advantage for Thursday’s encounter, having claimed seven victories in nine competitive home matches this season (D1, L1).

On the other hand, Salzburg has amassed four points from their opening three matches in the group stage, putting them just two points away from equaling their points tally from last season’s main draw.

However, given that they finished in 31st place last year, they are aiming for a significantly higher point total as they seek to return to the knockout stage of a European competition for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

Danny Rohl’s side kicked off the 2026-27 main draw with a narrow 1-0 victory away at Lexi Sofia, but they faced a setback with a 4-0 defeat at home to AC Milan.

Salzburg looked poised to secure a victory against Celje on the third matchday, yet they had to settle for a 2-2 draw after surrendering a two-goal advantage in Slovenia.

This result remains their only dropped points in the past five competitive outings, with their latest performance yielding an impressive 5-1 home win against Áustria Lustenau in the Austrian Bundesliga.

The Red Bulls are looking to Belgium with the hope of claiming their fourth consecutive win across all competitions, and they should feel confident about securing at least a point, as they have remained unbeaten in all 12 of their away competitive matches this season (W7, D5).

Team News

Anderlecht is set to be without Kilian Sardella, Ilay Camara, and Lucas Hey due to injuries.

Forward Marten Winkler is also facing doubts after missing out on the recent 4-1 league triumph over Westerlo.

Midfielder Ilias Koustoupias will not be part of Anderlecht’s squad for the group stage, thus missing out after playing the full match in Saturday’s win.

As for Salzburg, they are contending with an extensive injury list that includes Dominik Schmid, John Mellberg, Nikolas Veratschnig, Justin Omoregie, and Sota Kitano.

Defender Justin Boma has joined the ranks of the injured after leaving the pitch with a calf issue during Sunday’s win over Áustria Lustenau.

The medical team for Salzburg will also need to evaluate Damir Redzic and Jesper Lindstrom, who are dealing with thigh and hip injuries respectively.

Anderlecht probable starting XI:

Coosemans; Barry, Biancone, Petrot, Reabciuk; Ambros, Stroeykens, Aasgaard; Degreef, Onia Seke, Cvetkovic

Red Bull Salzburg probable starting XI:

Zawieschitzky; Morgalla, Drexler, Zabransky, Kratzig; Barry, Mazurek; Baidoo, Diakite, Vertessen; Tabakovic

Anderlecht has suffered only one home defeat so far this season. While they are likely to avoid a loss in this match, it seems they might struggle to clinch all three points, especially considering Salzburg boasts an unbeaten record in away games during the 2026-27 season.