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

As both sides look to start their Club World Cup campaign with a bang, Pachuca of Mexico's Liga MX will face Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Bundesliga at TQL Stadium on Wednesday.

Tuzos will be hoping to record back-to-back wins in midweek, while Die Roten Bullen will be aiming to make it three victories on the bounce.

Match preview

Jaime Lozano's Pachuca endured a mixed 2024-25 in the Mexican top flight, finishing 16th during the Torneo Apertura but ending up in the play-in round during the Torneo Clausura.

In preparation for this summer's competition, Tuzos beat Saudi Pro League club Al Ahly in a friendly on June 8 as they sought to put their lacklustre close to the league campaign behind them, though they needed a penalty shootout to prevail after the clock stopped with the score at 1-1.

That triumph was only Lozano's side's second from their last six matches, a spell going back to early April that also features two draws and two losses, and it would be fair to say that they have been inconsistent in recent months.

Given the strength of their Group H rivals Real Madrid, Al Hilal and Salzburg, the nominal hosts are underdogs that are expected to be eliminated in the opening stage of the tournament.

As a result, Pachuca will need to take at least a point from this clash against one of the non-Real teams if they are to stand any chance of progressing as part of the top two.

Meanwhile, Salzburg underwent a tumultuous season that saw recently-appointed Manchester City assistant Pepijn Lijnders sacked from his role as manager in mid-December and replaced by Thomas Letsch two days later.

The current head-coach went on to guide Die Roten Bullen to second place in the Austrian Bundesliga's championship round, recording back-to-back wins in the division's final two matchdays, and he will use the Club World Cup to build towards his first full season as chief at the Red Bull Arena.

That being said, Letsch's men had their friendly against Seekirchen cancelled last week and consequently have been out of action since May 24's 4-2 top-flight win over SK Rapid, so it remains to be seen whether they will be hampered by rustiness.

It is also notable that while neither side are truly the home team in this match, the nominal visitors have lost two of their last three on the road, and considering that they have not kept an away clean sheet since March, they may struggle in Cincinnati.

However, if Salzburg can take all three points on Wednesday, then they could find themselves in a strong position to progress, especially considering their favourable schedule that sees them go up against Al Hilal before a showdown with Real next Friday.

Pachuca form (all competitions):

Salzburg form (all competitions):

Team News

Pachuca could start their Club World Cup with a similar XI to the one that beat Al Ahly earlier this month, so expect to see centre-backs Eduardo Bauermann and Sergio Barreto protecting Carlos Moreno between the sticks.

Up top, striker John Kennedy will be joined by wide men Emilio Rodriguez and Oussama Idrissi, while Alan Bautista operates from an attacking midfield role.

As for Salzburg, 18-year-old left-back John Mellberg was taken off with an injury against Rapid, but he should be ready to participate on Wednesday.

In the centre of the park, Mads Bidstrup will captain the side and start in a partnership with Takumu Kawamura once again.

Ahead of the duo, Letsch could opt for a pairing of Nene Dorgeles and Oscar Gloukh, with strikers Edmund Baidoo and Petar Ratkov up front.

Pachuca possible starting lineup:

Moreno; L Rodriguez, Bauermann, Barreto, Gonzalez; Palavecino, Montiel; E Rodriguez, Bautista, Idrissi; Kennedy

Salzburg possible starting lineup:

Schlager; Trummer, Gadou, S Baidoo, Mellberg; Bidstrup, Kawamura; Dorgeles, Gloukh; E Baidoo, Ratkov

We say: Pachuca 1-2 Salzburg

Pachuca are in mixed form ahead of this clash, but having played more recently than Salzburg, their comparative readiness could see them find the back of the net at least once in midweek.

On the other hand, Salzburg will be expected to win considering the level of opposition they face, and failing to do so would almost certainly be seen as a disappointment.

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

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