One of the two fixtures in the opening round of Group E of the Champions League will see the clubs regarded by bookmakers as rivals to make the playoffs from second place in the quartet. The bookmakers put Milan in eleventh place and Salzburg in sixteenth to win Europe's elite tournament. Last year's tournament winner, Chelsea, is widely regarded as the group's favourite to win. Much in the relationship between the competing teams will be decided as early as Tuesday. Salzburg is already an experienced European Cup fighter with serious ambitions. Milan a legendary club with a good basis for a return to, at the very least, the playoffs of Europe's premier tournament.

The home team lost to Sturm in the second round of the Austrian league, but that defeat was their only points loss of the season. As a reward, the Bulls are leading the national league and are in a good mood ahead of the Champions League. The Austrian club achieves these results despite quite serious losses in the off-season (Adeyemi, Aaronson, Kamara, Christensen) and a considerable number of injured players (Kojta, Piatkowski, Susic). In the last four games, the Bulls have found such balance in the game that they beat their opponents with a total score of 13-0. Of course, the Austrians haven't had any opponents on Milan's level this season, but from season to season, they are not particularly shy when it comes to facing the top clubs.

Stefano Pioli's side make their first appearance in the European competition as reigning Italian champions. Romagnoli, Kessi and Hauge have all left the Serie A title holders in the off-season. They were replaced by De Cetelare, Origi, Tiau, Deste and several other players. At the same time, Pioli focuses on proven players, allowing only the first two of the above players to join the squad. This brings good results for the team in the opening rounds of the Italian championship, where Milan have not lost once in five rounds and last Saturday, they took on Inter in a crucial derby (3-2).

The transfer value of the visitors' main squad is three times that of the home side. At the same time, Salzburg have everything: experience, well-matched squad and decent human resources to avoid losing in the home crowd. We'll bet on a home team win or a draw (1X).