Europa League preview: Red Bull Salzburg v Manchester City
Red Bull gives you wings, or so Manchester City hope, as they bid to get their Europa League campaign off the ground in Salzburg.
A comfortable win over Romanian minnows FC Timişoara in the play-off round was all well and good, but things are about to get a whole lot tougher for Roberto Mancini’s men, and perhaps at the worst possible time.
The disappointing home draw with Blackburn Rovers last time out wasn’t the kind of result on the City agenda this season. Moreover, it served to remind them of some of the less than satisfactory outcomes of many of their matches in the last campaign, when early draws undermined a fledgling challenge for any kind of success and ultimately cost Mark Hughes his job. Take note Mancini.
To his credit, the Italian appears to have been preparing his players well.
“I know quite a bit about Salzburg,” boasts Kolo Touré, “are they a good team? Of course they are and they will be difficult, particularly in their own stadium.
“I’ve watched a lot of Austrian football and Salzburg move the ball around well, are technically good and have a physical element to their game. It should be a great match and I think that, because of our profile, each time we play in Europe it will be a kind of cup final for the home team.
“Everyone wants to beat us, but we need to begin the group stages with a good result, so we’ll be ready.”
The Ivorian makes a good point, with City’s enhanced profile making them easy targets for up and coming sides who are determined to make a name for themselves, and there are few more ambitious than Red Bull.
The company’s two Formula One teams – Red Bull Racing and Torro Rosso – add to an ever-expanding portfolio of sports interests, which includes football teams in Brazil and Germany as well as Red Bull New York, who showed their intent by snapping up a certain Thierry Henry this summer.
As for their Austrian interest, you could say it’s been ruthless.
Red Bull took over Austria Salzburg in 2005, immediately rebranded, redesigned and remodelled the club, changing everything about it including all traces of their previous nickname and colours, “the Violet-Whites.” Football luminaries such as Giovanni Trappatoni, Lothar Matthäus and Co Adriaanse have come and gone, as the money from the drinks company has poured into the club.
In a move reminiscent of AFC Wimbledon, many Austria Salzburg fans formed their own club in protest at such rampant commercialisation, and a meeting between Austria and Red Bull could be on the cards soon, with the relaunched club clinching promotion to the third tier of Austrian football last season, their fourth straight elevation.
So while the “Violet-White” fans won’t be tuning in tonight, Red Bull will hope to cause an upset against City.
The Austrian champions missed out on the Champions League group stages after a disappointing play-off defeat to Hapoel Tel-Aviv, and so they’ll be looking to repeat last season’s feat of qualifying for the second round of the Europa League here, although that will be difficult in a group with City and Juventus.
Tonight represents a great chance for City to kick off their group campaign with a result that would both worry Juventus into thinking that the top spot in the group isn’t necessarily theirs for the taking, while also weakening Red Bull’s chances of second.
If they are to do that, they’ll have to do so without Emmanuel Adebayor who is missing here with a dead leg, while Joleon Lescott also sits it out, giving Wayne Bridge a first appearance of the season.
The Europa League has assumed great importance to City as they bid to gain European respect that – while it could never quite match their millions – would at least establish them as a force to be reckoned with on the continent.
A good start here looks vital in this group, although a flying start against Red Bull isn’t vital.
A point will be good enough, and will ensure that City’s wings aren’t clipped just yet.
Prediction: Red Bull Salzburg 1 Manchester City 1
Tags: