At home against Basel with a win essential

In partnership with

FC Red Bull Salzburg

·20 gennaio 2026

At home against Basel with a win essential

Final Europa League home match of league phase

The situation is clear: with three points currently to our name in the UEFA Europa League, we absolutely need a win in our last home game of the league phase this Thursday against Basel (21:00 CET) – then our chance of a big final a week later against Aston Villa would still be alive!

Basel, currently on six points, also need points to keep their dream of reaching the knockout stage alive. Ludovic Magnin's team had their first competitive match of 2026 last weekend, but Basel could only manage a 1-1 draw against FC Sion. Generally speaking, the reigning Swiss champions are having a tough time domestically this season. Currently in fourth place, they are a full ten points behind the league leaders! Meanwhile, our Red Bulls are hoping to build on our dominant performances in the last two friendlies against Rakow (1-1) and Red Star Belgrade (2-0), by adding clinical finishing in front of goal. If we can do that, a win against the former Swiss champions is certainly within reach, and would allow us to avenge our bitter Europa League round of 16 exit in 2014.

OneFootball Video

You can read more about Xherdan Shaqiri, Flavius Daniliuc and the rest in our OPPOSITION CHECK. Tickets for the match against FC Basel are available online in our Ticket Shop for registered ticket holders from the last three years. Important: remember to log in first for the match to be displayed!

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All the info for those coming to the stadium can be found here:

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Injury news

Not available are Takumu Kawamura (knee), John Mellberg (thigh) and Valentin Sulzbacher (calf).
Stefan Lainer (broken metatarsal) is a doubt.

Views

It goes without saying that we absolutely want to win our home match against FC Basel. Only if we manage to do so will it be worthwhile to look at the Europa League standings and only then will we know if we might have a chance in Birmingham to advance. Basel are opponents that have dominated the Swiss league for many years and, after a few weaker seasons, won the championship again last season. Under Ludovic Magnin, they field a rather experienced team in a 4-3-3 system. With Xherdan Shaqiri, they have a top player who can play flexibly in midfield or up front and make the difference.

Thomas Letsch

Of course we know the importance of this game and that only a win will put us in a good position. We will give our all to achieve that. Although we haven't played a competitive match this year, our preparations have been really good, and we are ready for the game.

Mads Bidstrup

TV, live stream & more

Those who can't be at the stadium can watch the match for free on ServusTV or via a live stream on ServusTV On in Austria.

Win great prizes in the My RBS Prediction game!

Our Europa League matches are also part of the My RBS Prediction Game – and taking part is completely free! So, if you haven't already, sign up using the button below and enter your predictions for the upcoming matchday.

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