The stage could hardly be bigger: Salzburg meets Real Madrid in the Champions League at the start of 2025 on Wednesday (9 p.m./live Canal+). 80,000 spectators fit in Bernabeu Stadium in the Spanish capital. The opposing team is full of stars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius jr. or old master Luka Modric – some of the best players world football currently has to offer. Real is also the record winner in the premier class and is aiming for its tenth title.
The roles are distributed
“The roles couldn’t be assigned much clearer than in this game,” says Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch to the question about the initial situation. The Austrian runner-up’s chances of promotion are only theoretical – also because Real still needs points in the fight for promotion. “We want to present ourselves as well as possible,” said central defender Kamil Piatkowski before departure. So there’s a lot at stake – and there will be a few firsts.
- Competitive game debut for coach Thomas Letsch
Thomas Letsch will sit on the bench for the first time in a competitive game as Salzburg’s head coach at the Bernabeu. He already did this once on an interim basis in 2015 – or rather twice. Under interim coach Letsch, Salzburg recorded a 0-0 draw in Mattersburg and a 2-0 home win against Rapid.