Feyenoord vs Salzburg facts

Feyenoord are buoyed by a pair of away wins as they return to Rotterdam to take on Salzburg on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League.

The Dutch side opened with a 0-4 loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen but got their campaign back on track with wins at Girona (3-2) and Benfica (3-1). Salzburg are among the six teams without a point, and one of four without a goal, after losing 3-0 at Sparta Praha and at home against Brest (0-4) and GNK Dinamo (0-2).

This is the first time the teams have met, although each has recent experience against a club from their opponents' country.

Form guide

Feyenoord 

Record vs Austrian clubs: W3 D2 L5 F13 A14
Home record vs Austrian clubs: W2 D2 L1

Feyenoord last faced Austrian opposition in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League group stage, beating Sturm Graz 6-0 in Rotterdam before a 1-0 away defeat – their third in their last four matches against an Austrian team.

The Dutch club's other two wins against Austrian opposition came in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup first round, when they beat Kärnten 2-1 at home and 1-0 away.

Feyenoord's only home defeat by Austrian visitors was a 1-4 loss to Wolfsberg in the 2020/21 Europa League group stage.

The Rotterdammers are making their seventh appearance in the Champions League proper, appearing in the competition for successive seasons for the first time since 2002/03. This is only the third time they have featured in the last 22 campaigns.

European champions in 1970, Feyenoord have never reached the Champions League knockout rounds, although they did make it as far as the second group stage in 1999/2000.

In 2023/24, Feyenoord were third in Group E behind Atlético de Madrid and Lazio (W2 L4). Arne Slot's side moved across to the Europa League but lasted a single tie, losing to Roma in the knockout round play-offs (1-1 h, 1-1 a aet, 2-4 pens).

That was the third successive season in which Feyenoord's European campaign had ended in defeat against the Italian side – a sequence that includes a 1-0 loss in Tirana in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League final in 2022.

This season's Matchday 1 defeat by Leverkusen was only Feyenoord's second in their last 19 home European fixtures (W14 D3) – although those have come in their last three games (D1).

Champions of the Netherlands for the 16th time in 2022/23, Feyenoord were second behind PSV Eindhoven in 2023/24. The Rotterdam club did lift the Dutch Cup for the 14th time, and the first since 2017/18.

Slot departed for Liverpool in the summer, Feyenoord appointing Sparta Praha coach Brian Priske as his successor.

Salzburg

Record vs Dutch clubs: W5 D4 L3 F22 A18
Away record vs Dutch clubs: W1 D3 L2

Salzburg have already beaten Dutch opposition this season, defeating Twente 5-4 on aggregate in the third qualifying round (2-1 h, 3-3 a).

That second-leg draw ended a four-match winning run against Eredivisie teams stretching back to a 2-1 loss at Fortuna Sittard in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-finals – Salzburg's only defeat in their last ten games with Dutch clubs (W5 D4).

However, a 3-0 victory at Ajax on their penultimate visit to Netherlands, in the 2013/14 Europa League round of 32 first leg, is Salzburg's sole win away to a Dutch club.

Having not featured in the group stage between 1994 and 2019, Salzburg are making their sixth successive appearance in the Champions League proper.

The Austrian side were fourth in Group D in 2023/24, picking up four points (W1 D1 L4) in a section that also included Real Sociedad, Inter Milan and Benfica.

A 2-0 victory at Benfica on Matchday 1 last season is one of only four Salzburg wins in 20 away matches in the Champions League proper (D6 L10) and the sole success in 11 (D4 L6).

Salzburg started this season's Champions League campaign in the third qualifying round, beating Twente before overcoming Dynamo Kyiv in the play-offs (2-0 a, 1-1 h).

The win at Dynamo was only Salzburg's second victory in their last 14 European away games (D5 L7).

Salzburg, who appointed Pep Lijnders as head coach in May, had their run of ten successive Austrian Bundesliga titles ended by Sturm Graz in 2023/24.

Links and trivia

Salzburg's Dutch coach Lijnders started his managerial career in the youth ranks at PSV Eindhoven in 2002, spending four years there; he also had a spell as NEC Nijmegen head coach in 2018.

Feyenoord captain Gernot Trauner is an Austrian international who has played for LASK (2010–12, 2017–21) and Ried (2012–17) in his homeland.

Has played in Netherlands:
Janis Blaswich (Heracles Almelo (2018–22)

International team-mates:
Gernot Trauner & Alexander Schlager, Samson Baidoo (Austria)
Ayase Ueda & Takumu Kawamura (Japan)

Latest news

Feyenoord

On Saturday the Rotterdammers came from a goal down to beat AZ Alkmaar 3-2.

Feyenoord's unbeaten start to the Eredivisie season was ended by a 0-2 loss at home to Ajax on 30 October. That was their first league reverse since a 1-2 loss at home to eventual champions PSV Eindhoven on 3 December; their subsequent record was W21 D8.

Feyenoord's Matchday 1 defeat at home to Leverkusen is their only other loss in 40 games in all competitions – a sequence that includes 28 victories.

Defeat by Ajax also ended Feyenoord's five-game winning streak in all competitions.

Jordan Lotomba has been out since being replaced on Matchday 3 with a hamstring injury, while Ayase Ueda went off before half-time against Ajax with a similar problem and sat out Saturday's win.

Santiago Giménez was replaced in the first half of a 2-0 win at home to NAC on 22 September with a thigh injury and has not played since.

Calvin Stengs underwent knee surgery at the end of August.

Salzburg

Salzburg were held 0-0 at home by Grazer AK on Saturday, making it two wins (D2 L3) in their last seven games, failing to score in five of those.

Pep Lijnders' side were, however, 3-0 winners at home to WSG Tirol in the last 16 of the Austrian Cup on 30 October. They will visit LASK in the quarter-finals on 31 January.

Salzburg went down 5-0 at champions Sturm Graz on 6 October – their heaviest Austrian Bundesliga loss since a 0-7 home defeat by Rapid Wien on 23 March 2008.

Salzburg's unbeaten start to the season was ended by a 3-2 loss at Rapid Wien on 1 September. Their record in all competitions prior to that defeat was W6 D2; they have four wins in their subsequent 11 matches (D3 L4).

Alexander Schlager (whiplash) and substitute Oscar Gloukh (hamstring) returned on Saturday having not played since Matchday 3, although Amar Dedić (adductor) was still absent.

Maurits Kjærgaard and Lucas Gourna-Douath both suffered ankle injuries in a 0-0 draw at Wolfsberg on 27 October and have not played since.

Petar Ratkov (out since 28 September, hamstring) and Moussa Yeo (5 October, ankle) have both been sidelined.

Summer signing Takumu Kawamura (knee) is yet to play this season.