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“Wolves-bulls-double” within five days: Before the WAC and the FC Red Bull Salzburg meet in the championship group of the Admiral Bundesliga in the Lavanttal Arena on Sunday, there will be a “prelude” in the UniqaÖFB Cup semifinals on Wednesday evening at the same place of work. away 6 p.m LIVE in the league portal ticker. The Red Bulls want to continue their fabulous cup series, celebrate their 15th win in a row across the seasons and advance to the ÖFB Cup final for the 9th time SV Guntamatic Ried after the 2-1 home win against the two weeks ago TSV Hartberg has already qualified.
League top scorer Karim Adeyemi (right) is still waiting for his first goal from the game in 2022, Dominik Baumgartner wants to go to the “final at home” in Carinthia.
In the league, the Red Bulls are aiming for their ninth championship in a row with nine rounds to go and a comfortable eleven-point lead in seven-league boots. But captain Andreas Ulmer and Co. are also chasing a record in the ÖFB Cup: a place in the final this year would mean the ninth in a row. RB Salzburg has won the cup seven times since 2014, only in 2018 did Sturm Graz break into the phalanx and win after extra time.
The last time Salzburg, spoiled by success, were not in an ÖFB Cup final was in 2013, when they sensationally lost 2-1 to third division side FC Pasching in the Red Bull Arena on May 7th and were eliminated. The Upper Austrians, with head coach Gerald Baumgartner as the crowning glory, also clinched the cup 1-0 in the final against Austria Wien after a header by Daniel Sobkovka (47 minutes).
German coach duel in Lavanttal
In order to reach the ÖFB Cup final for the 9th time in a row (Saturday, May 1st, 5 p.m., Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt) and to create the fourth double in a row, Salzburg will have to do it on Wednesday evening to a kind of “anticipated final” at the strong WAC and the German coaching duel Dutt versus Jaissle. The game was postponed two weeks ago because of the Red Bulls’ “corona cluster”.
Matthias Jaissle’s team won both championship matches against the Carinthians 2-0, but it was always very close. Just recently in the Red Bull Arena, the two winning goals came in added time.
This is another reason why the Salzburg head coach is expecting another tough fight in the Lavanttal Arena: “The WAC has played a very consistent and good season so far. They have a strong team and are always very well positioned tactically. It will definitely be very tight again tomorrow, every meter on the pitch will be at stake. That’s why we have to be on our guard for this knockout game and perform as best we can. We will invest everything in it because we really want to go to the cup final.”
Swiss striker Noah Okafor, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, shares a similar view of the 33-year-old German:
“The WAC plays like us with diamonds, so they are very compact in the center and also go into the duels intensively. So we have to be ready from the first second and try to put our game on the pitch. After the win against Sturm on Sunday, we’re going into this semi-final with a lot of confidence. It’s like a finale. It’s a game where anything can happen. But I think we’ll try to finish it in the 90 minutes.”
In the duel with the “wolf pack” will not be there or will remain in the “bull stable”:
Midfield regulator Mohamed Camara and defender Albert Vallci (both thigh injuries), Daouda Guindo (back), striker Sekou Koita, Bryan Okoh (each knee injury), central defender Jerome Onguene (ill) and youngster Samson Tijani (contusion).
Dutt: “No other game that should be more important”
At WAC, which was also in the semi-finals last year, but lost to LASK at home, after an impressive series from October to February, there were recently fluctuations in performance and results in the league.
Head coach Robin Dutt: “We finished the basic round with equal points in second place with Sturm.” Nevertheless, the 57-year-old native of Cologne is currently missing it “a bit of the naturalness that we had in autumn, although we always played with the same formation back then”.
Of course, Robin Dutt knows that the cup is the shortest way to a European competition: “In the short term I can’t think of any other game that should be more important. We’re really looking forward to that. In the semi-finals we have the chance to reach the final at home.”
WAC are missing: defender Luka Lochoshvili (broken nose), midfielder Kai Stratznig (torn ankle ligaments).
The last WAC victory so far against RB Salzburg was on December 20, 2020, when the Wolfsbergers landed a 3-2 coup in the Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim.
The way to the semifinals:
FC Red Bull Salzburg
1 round: SC Hertha Wels – FC Red Bull Salzburg 1:4 (1:1)
Tore: Sesko (2), Bernardo, Sucic
2nd round: FC Red Bull Salzburg – SC Copacabana Kalsdorf 8:0 (4:0)
Tore: Okafor (2), Seiwald, Capaldo, Kristensen, Sesko, Kjaergaard, Okoh
3rd round: SKN St. Pölten – FC Red Bull Salzburg 0:3 (0:1)
Tore: Guindo, Adamu, Kristensen
Quarterfinals: FC Red Bull Salzburg – LASK 3:1 (2:1)
Tore: Renner (Owner), Kristensen, Capaldo
RZ Pellets WAC
1 round: Wiener Sportclub – RZ Pellets WAC 0:3 (0:2)
Tore: Dedic, Scherzer, Vizinger
2nd round: ASV Siegendorf – RZ Pellets WAC 1:6 (1:4)
Goals: Taferner (2), Baribo, Baumgartner, Boakye, Dieng
3rd round: SV Lafnitz – RZ Pellets WAC 3:5 n.V. (2:2)
Tore: Wernitznig (2), Taferner, Vizinger, Baumgartner
Quarterfinals: RZ Pellets WAC – FAC 4:2 n.V. (1:1)
Tore: Baribo, Vizinger, Röcher, Jasic.
bonuses
A bonus of 33,000 euros will be paid out for each home club in the semifinals, and 55,000 euros for each guest club (plus travel allowance).
Photo: GEPA-ADMIRAL
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