Salzburg vs Al-Hilal Prediction: Young blood meets Saudi star power in round 2

Salzburg vs Al-Hilal: Prediction and odds on the Match on 23 June 2025

The prestigious FIFA Club World Cup 2025 continues to heat up at the Audi Field Stadium as Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg, fresh off their 2-1 win against Pachuca, take on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in an important Group H clash to maintain their place at the top of the group. Salzburg, fueled by a 2-1 upset over Pachuca, is heavily dependent on their young squad and massive attacking style to take them far in Group H with giants like Real Madrid and Al-Hilal in the same group. They already eased past Pachuca, and a draw against Al-Hilal is all they will be hoping for at this point. 

Al-Hilal, under new coach Simone Inzaghi, who only coached his first official game against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup opener last week, showed grit in a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, proving their star-studded squad can compete with the elite. With Pachuca awaiting both teams, this clash could most likely determine who advances to the Round of 16. With the performance Al-Hilal put up against Real Madrid, they are most likely the favorites for the win, but we have seen a lot of upsets in this competition, and that's what makes it football. Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

Salzburg: form and statistics

Form across all competitions: WWWLW

The Red Bull Salzburg, Austria’s Bundesliga third runners-up in 2024-25, kicked off their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Pachuca last week, thanks to goals from Oscar Gloukh and Karim Onisiwo. The game was a very tight one, with both teams coming all out for the victory. Oscar Gloukh was denied by Pachuca’s shotstopper, Carlos Moreno, in the 27th minute. That shot just inside the box could have been the first goal for Salzburg. However, Salzburg eventually drew the first blood and had a breakthrough on goal courtesy of Oscar Gloukh with a nice shot outside the box. Bryan Gonzalez's direct free kick from the left side in the 56th minute had enough power to give Pachuca the equalizer as he nailed his kick with precision. Karim Osinowo was the savior for Salzburg as he connected perfectly with Mads Bistrup’s cross and headed the ball straight into the net. 

Salzburg currently leads group H as the only team to have won a game in the first round, and the upcoming events are very important for Salzburg if they intend to make it to the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup this season, with the next hurdle being the Saudi Sensation, Al-Hilal. Coach Thomas Letsch, in a post-match interview after the Pachuca win, called it “a statement,” but immediately warned of Al-Hilal’s world-class quality, and they, Salzburg, cannot lose focus at this critical stage. 

Salzburg Lineup

Salzburg: Possible Lineup

Thomas Letsch (4-2-2-2) thrives on speed and massive attacking. Ratkov and Edmund Baidoo lead the attack, with Oscar Gloukh and Nene Dorgeles playing just right behind them but with flexibility to operate from the flanks. Mads Bistrup and Valentin Sulzbacher bring creativity and strength to the midfield. Fans all over the world remain hyped for Oscar Gloukh after his screamer against Pachuca in their Club World Cup opener. 

 🔖 Salzburg (4-2-2-2)

Zawieschitzky – Gadou, Rasmussen, Kratzig, Lainer – Bidstrup, Sulzbacher – Gloukh, Dorgeles– Baidoo, Ratkov

👤 Head coach: Thomas Letsch

Al-Hilal: form and statistics

Form across all competitions: DWDWW

Al-Hilal, Saudi Pro League runners-up in 2024-25, turned up and had a positive outcome in one of the most important games they’ve played this season. Al-Hilal held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their Club World Cup opener last week in a game that had the football world on the edge of their seats. What we witnessed was a pure masterclass from Al-Hilal against one of the best clubs in the world, and they eventually held them down to a draw. Simeone Inzaghi has changed everything for Al-Hilal, with just one official game in charge of the Blues, and we saw it all play out against Real Madrid. Gonzalo Garcia got the first goal of the game in the 34th minute, and it was for Real Madrid. Without wasting much time, Ruben Neves immediately got an equalizer for Al-Hilal 7 minutes after Gonzalo Garcia’s goal. Al-Hilal conceded a penalty in the dying minutes of the game, but the goalkeeper, Bono, stopped Federico Valverde to keep his team in the game. Bono emerged as the best player of the match with six saves in the game. 

Inzaghi’s high-pressing approach was instrumental against Real Madrid, with a good possession average and five shots on target, with two big chances created. Al-Dawsari was also instrumental in their 1-1 draw. Al-Hilal still has a lot of work to do as they must now secure a positive outcome in their remaining two group stage games. Al-Hilal has just a single point from a game played, and they need a win here. 

Al-Hilal Lineup

Al-Hilal: Possible Lineup

Coach Inzaghi had an incredible start to life as Al-Hilal manager with an incredible performance against Real Madrid. His tactics pulled off with Marcos Leonardo leading the attack as Mitrovic is out injured. João Cancelo held up his forte with runs in and out. Salem Al-Dawsari also had a great game. Bono is in phenomenal form, and he will man the post for Al-Hilal. 

🔖 Al-Hilal starting lineup (4-2-3-1)

Bono – Renan Lodi, Koulibaly, Ali Tambakto, Joao Cancelo, — Ruben Neves, Nasser Al-Dawsari — Malcom, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari – Marcos Leonardo 

👤 Head coach: Simone Inzaghi

Salzburg vs Al-Hilal: head to head statistics

This is the first-ever meeting between Salzburg and Al-Hilal, adding an extra layer of excitement to the clash. Salzburg is a high-scoring team, which is also the case with Al-Hilal, and we can expect goals in this encounter.

Salzburg vs Al-Hilal: Betting Tips & Odds

• More than 2.5 goals in 5 of Salzburg’s last 6 games, and the bet is offered on the 1xBet bookmaker website for odds of 1.51 odds;
• Both teams have found the net in 5 of Al-Hilal’s last 5 games, and the bet is offered on the 1xbet bookmaker website for 1.49 odds.
• Some Betway experts believe that Salzburg stands a chance against Al-Hilal, and this option is offered on the Betway bookmaker website for 4 odds;

Salzburg vs Al-Hilal match prediction 23 June 2025

Al-Hilal remains focused on the Club World Cup as they will be aiming for their first victory in the Club World Cup. Salzburg’s victory over Pachuca in the Club World Cup opener gives them the required motivation to take on the Saudi giants Al-Hilal, and I believe Salzburg is onto something big here. No losses for Al-Hilal in their last six games, and I think they will not lose this game, not with what's at stake. A more balanced prediction would be on the goals. After witnessing what happened in their Club World Cup opener, I expect both teams to find the net and a total of over 2.5 goals scored. Furthermore, I also envisage a high corner margin, which will come from the massive and impressive attacks. 

Our match prediction: is a total of over 4.5 corners for Al-Hilal for a coefficient of 1.69 in the 1xBet bookmaker. 

Our betting tip on the match: is for both teams to score and a total of over 2.5 goals for 1.80 in the Betway bookmaker.

Lastly: A win for 1.87 odds in the Bet365 bookmaker.