It is an important dress rehearsal for both teams. Admiral in Lask 3rd round Bundesliga, runners-up Red Bull Salzburg visit LASK on Saturday (7:30pm live ticker >>>).
The Bulls will be looking to take their recent momentum into the play-offs for the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv. The first leg takes place on Wednesday in Lublin (Poland). As for LASK, the next two weeks against FCSB Bucharest will take part in the group stage of the Europa League.
After two rounds, Salzburg lead the league as the only team with maximum points. The goal difference is 8:3. No defeat in five competitive games under new coach Pepijn Lijnders – but seven goals. The Bulls kept just one clean sheet in their cup opener against regional league side FC Dornbirn. In the Champions League qualifiers, they still had to worry about promotion in the second leg against Twente Enschede (3:3).
Lijnders warns of Lask: “They will make life difficult for us”
“The game at Dwente was important because it showed us that we can play our football away from home in front of a lot of spectators and that we can fight emotionally as a result,” Lijnders explained.
This experience will also be needed against Lask. Linz recently lost 2-1 at home against Altach, which was somewhat surprising. Lijnders: “They will definitely want to work against us. They have many good players and they will definitely make life very difficult for us. We have to be ready for that.”
Salzburg beat city rivals Blau-Weiß Linz 5-1 at home last week. Samson Baidou and Kamil Piatkowski are likely to form the central defense against Lask in the absence of the injured Hendry Blanc and Oumar Solet.
Lijnders will rotate a bit in attack after a strong performance by the Netherlands.
Lask bankruptcy “could be good” at Altach
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Last season, LASK won two out of four league duels with Salzburg. The people of Linz had never achieved this before in Salzburg’s Red Bull era (since 2005). A 1-0 away win in October was followed by a 3-1 win in their first appearance under coach Thomas Tarass in April. Striker Marin Ljubicic was the legendary hero with three goals.
At the end of the season, the Linzers received a 1:7 slap in the face at Walls-Seissenheim in May.
“We expect a very challenging game against a team that claims to be the best in Austria,” Taras said. He didn’t want to overestimate his own setback against Altach in a strong first half. He also tried to find something positive about failure. “As an indicator for the rest of the season, it could be good.”
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Against Salzburg’s “clear favourites” you won’t hold 80 percent of the ball like you did against Vorlberg. “This game will provide a good statement of where we are in our development,” Taras said. “We feel well prepared and approach this important task with confidence.”
The opposition’s attitude changed under Lijnders. “It’s a very complicated team to play in the long term. But they’re not as consistent as they will be in a few months,” Taras said.
In addition to his long-term injuries, he will have to do without Valon Berisha. According to Tarasz, the midfielder has a slight heel injury and will miss the clash with his former club.
Ex-TFP defender Jerome Boateng could make his debut. “He definitely hasn’t played 90 minutes or 45 minutes yet. If we need him, he’s ready to help us at the end,” Darazs said.
As of Friday afternoon, 13,500 tickets had been sold. “We need the fans behind us. If everyone participates, we are a great club and a fortress,” midfielder Sasha Horvath said. In conclusion we should celebrate together about three points.
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