League Stage - 1 · 17 September 2026, 16:45 UTC

Levski Sofia vs Red Bull Salzburg UEFA Europa League prediction

National Stadium Vasil Levski, Sofia

Our model says: Levski Sofia 2–1 Red Bull Salzburg

The model makes it 46% Levski Sofia, 27% draw, 27% Red Bull Salzburg — fair odds of 2.17, 3.70 and 3.70. Fair odds are simply 100 ÷ the probability; they are the model's own number, not a bookmaker's price.

Most likely scoreline: 2-1.

Expected goals: Levski Sofia 1.98, Red Bull Salzburg 1.24.

Both teams to score: 62%. Over 2.5 goals: 63%, under 2.5: 37%.

Model confidence: Medium.

Published · updated

Live win probability

From kick-off
Levski Sofia46%2.17
Draw27%3.70
Red Bull Salzburg27%3.70

These update every few seconds once the match kicks off, as the model re-reads the score, the clock and any red cards. The second figure is fair odds — 100 ÷ probability, the price with no margin in it.

Model insights: Levski Sofia vs Red Bull Salzburg

62%
Both teams to score
63%
Over 2.5 goals
37%
Under 2.5 goals
Most likely scorelines1-1 10%2-1 10%2-0 8%

Every scoreline the model considered

012345
04431
171063
281062
35642
4332
511
Levski Sofia goals ↓ Red Bull Salzburg goals →

Each cell is one exact result, shaded against the likeliest one; figures below 1% are left blank rather than rounded to zero. Blue cells are Levski Sofia wins, grey are draws, red are Red Bull Salzburg wins — the three shaded areas ARE the 1/X/2 split above, which is the sum of the cells in each. The most likely scoreline is simply the darkest cell inside whichever area the model favours.

Has the model earned this number?

It puts Levski Sofia at 46% here. Across 2437 settled matches, 1092 forecasts have landed in the 40–50% band; those outcomes actually happened 44.3% of the time, against an average forecast of 43.8%. In this range the two line up, so the figure above can be read literally.

Every settled prediction on this site is scored against an uninformed baseline, band by band, and published whether or not it flatters the model — see the full record.

Form going into Levski Sofia vs Red Bull Salzburg

Levski Sofia

  • D0-0away to Botev Vratsa13 September 2026
  • W1-0CSKA 19485 September 2026
  • W2-1away to Slavia Sofia2 September 2026
  • W3-1away to Botev Plovdiv30 August 2026
  • W6-0Spartak Varna22 August 2026

Red Bull Salzburg

  • D1-1away to Ried11 September 2026
  • W5-1Rapid Vienna2 September 2026
  • W4-1Austria Vienna30 August 2026
  • W3-0away to WSG Wattens16 August 2026
  • D1-1away to Wolfsberger AC9 August 2026

Up to 5 matches before kick-off, most recent first. The model works from each side's rolling expected-goals ratings rather than from these results directly, so read them as context — how the ratings are built.

Levski Sofia and Red Bull Salzburg in their domestic leagues

#TeamLeaguePWDLGFGAGDPts
1Levski SofiaFirst League9810214+1725
3Red Bull SalzburgBundesliga6420154+1114

Each side's position in its own domestic league — they meet here from different competitions. Full tables: First League · Bundesliga

Leading scorers: Levski Sofia and Red Bull Salzburg

Levski Sofia

No player in First League's leading scorers — 21 league goals as a side.

Red Bull Salzburg

  • K. Konaté4 goals
  • H. Tabaković3 goals
  • Y. Vertessen2 goals1 assists

Top 3 by league goals this season. Player availability is not part of the model — injuries and suspensions are a planned improvement.

Two sides the ratings cannot separate

Levski Sofia carry a model rating of 6.62 against 6.55 for Red Bull Salzburg. The scale is anchored so that an average side in one of Europe's big five leagues sits at 6.85, and it is adjusted for the strength of each team's league, so the two numbers are comparable even across borders.

A gap that small is inside the noise of the rating itself — treat the two as level.

The model expects goals

Under the hood the model expects 1.98 goals for Levski Sofia and 1.24 for Red Bull Salzburg. Those two numbers, not the scoreline, are what the model actually estimates; everything else is derived from them.

Levski Sofia rate 0.78 in attack and 1.23 in defence, where 1 is league average and a lower defensive number is better; Red Bull Salzburg rate 0.84 and 1.56.

How this was produced

Publicly tracked record so far: 1151 correct results out of 2437 settled predictions (47%), with 230 exact scorelines (9%). That log is updated automatically after every match and is never edited.

Full method: how the model works.

From the first whistle this page keeps going: the win probabilities at the top are recalculated as the match plays out, reading the score, the clock and any sendings-off. The same model, asked how many goals are left rather than how many there will be.

Statistical estimate, not betting advice This prediction is generated from a statistical model for entertainment and informational purposes only. It does not guarantee any outcome and should not be used as the basis for placing a bet.

Team comparison

Bars show each side's share of the two-team total, based on the model's attack/defence ratings and expected goals for this fixture.

Why the model favours this side

The model gives Levski Sofia the highest probability at 46%, based on each side's rolling attack and defence ratings estimated from recent match data. The model projects 1.98 expected goals for Levski Sofia against 1.24 for Red Bull Salzburg. Levski Sofia's attack/defence rating is 0.78/1.23 versus the league average (1.00 = average), compared with 0.84/1.56 for Red Bull Salzburg.