13th matchday in the domestic Bundesliga. Blau-Weiß Linz welcomes former series champions Red Bull Salzburg. The “Bulls” want to preserve the momentum from the Champions League and also steal three points from Linz. We report live – see ticker below.
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Without a coach, but with Champions League success
The spell in the Champions League has been broken, now the momentum should be carried over to the Bundesliga: After Wednesday’s surprising 3-1 win at Feyenoord Rotterdam, Red Bull Salzburg is hoping to make it to the 13th round of the league on Sunday (2.30 p.m ) at Blau-Weiß Linz for the next “threesome”. This must succeed without the suspended coach Pepijn Lijnders, who will be replaced on the sidelines by assistant coach Vitor Matos.
Image: GEPA/GEPA pictures
“The team showed a real winning mentality away from home on Wednesday in a difficult starting position. It was a strong team performance with many great individual moments. “On Sunday against Blau-Weiß Linz we will need the same attitude and the same approach to get everything out of there too,” said Lijnders. The former series champion has fond memories of the first duel with the Linzers, after a 0-1 deficit there was a 5-1 win. This means he has scored a third of his goals this season (15) in one game.
However, no one assumes that it will be a sure-fire success. “We are facing a good team that we have the necessary respect for,” said Lijnders. Midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath also didn’t want to underestimate the opponent: “We have to recover well so that we can go into the match as fresh as possible. We need this freshness because we are currently in a situation where we have to work hard for every point and where nothing comes easily. “It won’t be any different on Sunday,” said the 21-year-old Frenchman.
In the end there were no successes
In the league, Salzburg recently had zero numbers against WAC and against bottom team GAK. 18 points from ten games and currently fourth place, albeit with two fewer games played than most of the competition, do not meet the club’s high expectations. He can be happy that the personnel problems are getting smaller, also since Takumu Kawamura is training with the team again after a very long injury break.
With Fernando, Maurits Kjaergaard, Bryan Okoh and Joane Gadou, only four players are still out. The use of Mads Bidstrup, who was recently ill, and Amar Dedic, who was injured, is still questionable. Even the eighth-placed Linz team can’t make the most of it. In addition to six injured players, Silvan Wallner is also unavailable as the 22-year-old has asked the club not to take part in training or games for personal reasons.
A win is mandatory
“As Red Bull Salzburg you have a duty to win in Linz. That’s why we expect an opponent with a lot of energy. It may seem overwhelming, but we have already proven that we are capable of beating any opponent. We believe in that too,” explained business administration coach Gerald Scheiblehner. His troops are fighting against a persistent negative streak. In the last six competitive games without a win there were five defeats, including the 2-1 defeat at Wiener Austria.
“It will be important to be focused throughout the entire season and to defend your own penalty area better and more consistently than last,” said Scheiblehner. Linz have kept four clean sheets this season – only Salzburg (5) have managed this more often.
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