Europa League

LIVE: Can Salzburg pull off an upset against Milan?

(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League. Red Bull Salzburg hosts AC Milan; we’re covering the game live—see the live ticker below. The score is currently 0–3.

Here’s the live ticker:

In their 16th competitive match under coach Danny Röhl, Red Bull Salzburg’s unbeaten streak this season faces what is likely to be its toughest test yet. AC Milan, a club with a storied history and a legendary name, is visiting the current second-place team in the Austrian Bundesliga for this Europa League clash. The Salzburg team certainly believes it can compete with the “Rossoneri” and is fueled by the three points from its 1–0 opening-round win at Levski Sofia.

Danny Röhl(Bild: APA/EXPA/ UWE WINTER)

  “We want to play with courage. We want to build on what we’ve done in the last 15 games and make it even better,” Röhl said Wednesday at the pre-match press conference. “We’ll be playing a different role than we usually do in the Bundesliga. We’ll try to put the opponent on the back foot.” Of course, there’s a lot of respect, but fear is unwarranted. “It’ll be a big challenge, but with three points under our belt, that makes the anticipation all the greater.”

Röhl emphasized the importance of playing flawlessly. “At the international level, even small mistakes are punished relatively quickly. Milan has a good team with a lot of quality and a lot of experience.” That’s why a perfect performance is essential. Röhl: “We need to be tough to play against when we’re defending, be very well organized, and bring our strengths to bear at the right moment. If we can do that, even Milan will have problems now and then.” Haris Tabakovic wants to do his part: “I want to be a thorn in their side.”

Tabakovic wants to be there again
It’s already been four weeks since the group stage kicked off—an unusually long time, though understandable given the extended international break. Tabakovic scored the winning goal against the Bulgarian champions. The forward is eagerly anticipating the upcoming match: “AC Milan is one of the biggest clubs in all of Europe, in the world. The anticipation is huge. You have to say, it’s a real highlight. But we should focus on ourselves and go out there with confidence.”

Haris Tabakovic(Bild: GEPA)

With a market value of 500 million euros, the odds clearly favor the visitors; Salzburg, at 130 million euros, account for just over a quarter of that. Of course, after their 0–2 opening-round loss at home to Benfica Lisbon, the Milanese are already under some pressure to advance. In Italy’s Serie A, things haven’t gone quite perfectly either, with three wins and three draws; the resulting 12 points currently place them only in fifth place.

Salzburg and Milan faced off four years ago in the Champions League group stage, which had a different format back then. A 1-1 draw in the opener in Salzburg was followed two months later by a 0-4 loss in Milan, which sent the “Bulls” to the Europa League. Back then, Strahinja Pavlovic was among those playing for Salzburg; the Serbian center back transferred to Milan in the summer of 2024 and will now face his former club. Milan has been coached by Ruben Amorim since the summer.

Amorim is expected to bring Milan back to success
The Portuguese coach is tasked with getting the club back on the path to success. Last season, too, failed to meet the high expectations of club officials and fans—as evidenced by the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League. In addition to head coach Massimiliano Allegri, the general manager, the sporting director, and the technical director of the Milan club were also let go. Oliver Glasner was considered a candidate for the coaching position before Amorim was chosen over the Upper Austrian.

  Röhl views the opponent’s performance in the still-young Serie A season in a rather positive light: “They’re still undefeated. They certainly imagined things would go differently against Benfica, but it was a top-tier match.” A rebuild like the one Milan undertook over the summer simply takes time. “You need experience. They started by building their defense around a back three. Now they’ve already adjusted, switching from a back three to a back four.” The team and the coach first need to find their rhythm together.

Ruben Amorim(Bild: AP/Massimo Paolone)

Milan has won four European Cup titles and three Champions League titles, is a 19-time Italian champion, and has also claimed the Club World Cup title once. The 1994–95 season was part of that glorious era, when the team reached the Champions League final in Vienna, where they lost 0–1 to Ajax Amsterdam. On the way there, they defeated SV Austria Salzburg 3–0 at home, though the victory was ultimately awarded on a technicality following a bottle being thrown at goalkeeper Otto Konrad.