Red Bull Salzburg vs. Atletico Madrid | Champions League | League Stage | Pre Match

Atletico Madrid will look to seal a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League when they travel to Austria for Wednesday's meeting with Red Bull Salzburg.

In contrast to the visitors, Salzburg only have pride to play for in the final match of the league phase, having taken just three points from seven matches. Their struggles in the tournament have been evident, with defensive frailties and a lack of cutting edge in attack hampering their chances of making a competitive run in the Champions League. As they prepare for their final outing, the Austrian side will be desperate to salvage some dignity in front of their home supporters.

After negotiating their way through qualifying, Salzburg would have entered the main draw with aspirations of reaching the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2021-22 when they finished second in their group to advance to the last 16. However, the reality of elite European competition has proved a tough challenge, as their young and inexperienced squad has found it difficult to cope with the intensity and quality of their opponents.

Unfortunately for the Austrian side, they have fallen significantly short of that objective, having lost six of their seven matches in the league phase, leaving them in the 34th position and seven points adrift of the top 24. The campaign has been one of frustration and missed opportunities, with the team often showing flashes of promise but ultimately lacking the consistency to produce positive results on a regular basis.

They lost their opening three games of the main draw by a combined 9-0 scoreline, before they followed a 3-1 victory against Feyenoord with heavy defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain. Their solitary win over the Dutch outfit provided a brief moment of hope, but their subsequent results quickly dashed any realistic chance of progressing further in the tournament.

The 3-0 home defeat to PSG proved to be the penultimate game of Pep Lijnders' tenure, with the Salzburg board opting to part ways with the former Liverpool assistant manager. His departure came amid growing concerns about the team's stagnation and their struggle to maintain a competitive edge, both domestically and in Europe. At the time of his dismissal, the reigning Austrian champions were languishing in fifth place in their domestic league, with a 10-point gap to leaders Sturm Graz—a situation deemed unacceptable given their previous dominance in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Salzburg subsequently appointed former Bochum boss Thomas Letsch, who experienced a difficult start in last week's trip to the Spanish capital, seeing his side concede four goals before the hour mark in a 5-1 Champions League defeat against Real Madrid. The baptism of fire served as a harsh reminder of the scale of the challenge facing the new coach, who must now attempt to instill confidence in his side ahead of their final continental outing.

While they may be eliminated, Wednesday's hosts will be keen to sign off by claiming their first home win of the league phase, although that may be easier said than done given the fact that they have failed to win their last three Champions League matches against Spanish opposition since beating Sevilla in December 2021. The encounter with Atletico Madrid represents a chance for Salzburg to prove their resilience and put in a performance that could lay the foundation for future European campaigns.

Atletico have guaranteed some form of knockout football, having won five and lost two of their seven matches in the league phase, leaving them in fifth position with a two-point buffer to those sitting outside the top eight. Despite an inconsistent start to their campaign, they have found their rhythm in recent weeks and are now poised to advance with confidence.

Atleti lost two of their opening three matches, before Angel Correa scored a stoppage-time winner against PSG to give his side some much-needed impetus in the main draw. That result served as a turning point, reigniting belief within the squad and setting the tone for a strong run of form in the latter stages of the group phase.

Diego Simeone's side backed up that result with victories over the next three matchdays, including a dramatic 2-1 win in last week's home meeting with Bayer Leverkusen despite trailing 1-0 at half time with a numerical disadvantage following Pablo Barrios' 25th-minute red card. The resilience and determination displayed in that match epitomized the character of Simeone's team, who have made a habit of grinding out results when it matters most.

Julian Alvarez pulled a goal back in the opening stages of the second half, before Piero Hincapie was shown a red card to equal the numbers just over 10 minutes before Alvarez netted a last-minute winner to clinch three precious points, ensuring that they will enter the final matchday with a strong chance of progressing to the last 16. The dramatic nature of that victory further reinforced Atletico's credentials as genuine contenders in the tournament.

Unfortunately for Atleti, they will travel to Austria off the back of a frustrating 1-1 home draw against Villarreal, allowing Real Madrid to stretch the gap at the top of the league table to four points, denting Atletico's hopes of lifting their third La Liga title under Simeone. While their European ambitions remain intact, they will need to refocus quickly to keep their domestic title hopes alive in the coming weeks.

Los Colchoneros will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways in Wednesday's contest, having won each of their previous four European away matches in Austria, scoring nine times and conceding on just two occasions during that period. Their strong record in the country will provide them with additional confidence as they aim to close out the group stage on a high note.

Salzburg remain without the services of Karim Konate and Maurits Kjaergaard due to knee and ankle injuries respectively. The absence of two key players is a further blow to their hopes of securing a positive result against high-caliber opposition.

Left-back Daouda Guindo is unlikely to be involved after he missed last week's defeat to Real Madrid with a knee issue. His potential absence will force Letsch to make adjustments to his defensive setup, which has already been vulnerable throughout the campaign.

The Austrian side have signed Maximiliano Caufriez and Karim Onisiwo on loan and permanent deals respectively, but the pair are not registered for the league phase, making them unavailable for Wednesday's fixture. Their arrivals offer optimism for the future, but they will have to wait to make their European debuts.

As for the visitors, Javi Galan is set to be out for up to four weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in last week's Champions League outing. The loss of the left-back adds to Atletico's injury concerns as they head into a crucial period of the season.

Barrios will miss matchday seven through suspension following his straight red card in the first half against Leverkusen. His absence will require Simeone to shuffle his midfield options, with potential opportunities for other squad members to step up.

Meanwhile, defender Clement Lenglet is set to return to the Atletico backline after serving a one-match ban in La Liga. His availability provides a welcome boost to the defensive unit, which will need to be disciplined against a Salzburg side with nothing to lose.

Alexander Sorloth returned from injury to be an unused substitute at the weekend, and the forward will hope to get some valuable minutes off the bench in Wednesday's fixture. His presence could add another dimension to Atletico's attacking play, particularly if they need to break down a stubborn Salzburg defense.