The European nights are back!

In partnership with

FC Red Bull Salzburg

·23 de setembro de 2025

The European nights are back!

Porto visit this Thursday

We start the league phase of the new UEFA Europa League season with one of our toughest tasks. This Thursday, September 25th, at 21:00 CEST we host FC Porto – Club World Cup participants and league leaders in Portugal – at the Red Bull Arena.

The team led by 36-year-old new head coach Francesco Farioli are dominating their domestic league. After six matches, they have a 100% record with an impressive goal difference of 15-1. They beat Rio Ave 3-0 last weekend, and even beat rivals Sporting Lisbon 2-1. You can read more about our opponents HERE.

Vídeos OneFootball

The difficulty of the task is no secret given the current situation, not least because it has been several weeks since our last taste of success. But as underdogs, our Red Bulls have already caused quite a few surprises on the European stage, especially in front of their home crowd – and they're determined to do just that again this time.

You can experience our UEFA Europa League home games at the best price with a four-game ticket package. Individual tickets for the match against Porto are also available in our online Ticket Shop. The match will be broadcast exclusively on Canal+. Further information for stadium visitors can be found in our current matchday information.

to the online Ticket Shop

Possible FC Porto starting XI

Injury news

Not available for the match are Takumu Kawamura (knee), Karim Konate (knee), John Mellberg (knee) and Valentin Sulzbacher (ankle).
Clement Bischoff is not available due to a red card suspension he received while playing for Bröndby in UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

Views

The game against Porto will be tough, and there are indeed easier tasks than this. They are clear leaders in the Portuguese league, won comfortably again this weekend, and have only conceded one goal. But ultimately, it doesn't matter whether it's easy or difficult – we have to face what lies ahead. We're happy to be in the Europa League, and we want to approach this match accordingly.

Thomas Letsch

We don't have much time to freshen up for the Porto game, but we want to make the most of the days leading up to it. I think they're probably one of the strongest teams in the competition. They're showing what they're capable of in the Portuguese league, where they're currently setting the pace. For us, it's the other way around; we're struggling quite a bit at the moment. We'll have to give it our all to survive this game and put in a good performance. One thing is clear, we're not going into this match as favorites.

Karim Onisiwo

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.

to the prediction game

How the UEFA Europa League's league phase works

Since last season, a league format has replaced the group stage in UEFA competitions. Just like in the Champions League, each team in the UEFA Europa League is drawn against eight different opponents, with four home and four away matches.

At the end of the eight rounds, an overall standings of all 36 participating teams is established. The top eight then advance directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will face each other in a home-and-away play-off for the remaining spots in the knockout phase.

Other changes compared to previous years: following elimination, 'relegation' to the UEFA Conference League is no longer possible, as was previously the case for the third-placed teams in each group. Furthermore, the league stage also lasts until the end of January.