Europa League: Salzburg vs Porto 25/09/2025

Betting on the Winner

After failing to qualify for the Champions League through the playoffs, Salzburg had to settle for participation in Europe’s second-tier competition. The most dominant Austrian club of the 21st century has not held the domestic league crown for the past two years, and that increasingly seems like the new reality. Last weekend, they suffered a 2–0 home defeat against the reigning champions Sturm, which dropped them to fifth place in the standings, six points behind league leaders Rapid. It was also their third consecutive match without a victory.

Unlike them, Porto has started the season in blistering form. In the first six rounds of the Primeira Liga, they collected the maximum 18 points with an impressive goal difference of 15:1. Particularly noteworthy was their away win over Sporting, one of their biggest rivals in the title race.

Salzburg has traditionally been a side that plays attacking football, but this squad is struggling not only with inefficiency up front but also with a very shaky defense. In their last three league matches, they conceded as many as seven goals — a worrying statistic. If Sturm and Wolfsberger were able to punish them that way, it is clear that Porto, who are a much stronger and higher-quality opponent, will know how to exploit every mistake. Salzburg’s players face an extremely difficult challenge.