Gerhard Struber’s team starts the English weeks with the double in Graz and at Benfica Lisbon. Before the top game in the Mur metropolis, the champions are plagued by a bottleneck in the defense center.
If Salzburg against Rapid is seen as a “classic”, the Bulls’ duel against Sturm Graz can rightly be described as a “long-running favorite”. The two clubs will meet on Saturday for the 78th time since Red Bull joined in 2005 – no other team has the red-white-red series champions met more often. A special atmosphere is guaranteed, the Merkur Arena in the Mur metropolis is sold out . In terms of sport, Austria has nothing better to offer: the cup winner welcomes the champions, the first pursuer welcomes the leaders of the Bundesliga. With Sturm and the Bulls, the two strongest teams in the country meet. For the guests, who have proven to be extremely greedy in terms of their desire for the title over the past decade, the Styrians are “just” an appetizer at the start of the English weeks. The main course at the start of the Champions League awaits on Wednesday with Benfica. Nevertheless, the focus of Gerhard Struber’s team is initially on the top domestic game, because with an away win in Graz the defending champions could distance their fiercest rivals by five points early in the season .Positive for the Bulls coach: The hospital is thinning out bit by bit.One duo is sick. With Capaldo (turned 25 yesterday), Diambou, Guindo, Morgalla, Ratkov and Solet, numerous players are back in team training, although the majority of them are not yet Match fit. Negative for Kuchler Struber: Although the personnel situation is relaxing overall, it is getting worse in a highly sensitive position – that in the center of defense. Two central defenders, Pavlovic and Piatkowski, are ill, and there is a question mark behind their deployment in Styria. Since Okoh and Wallner will be out for a longer period of time, Baidoo is the only player available.
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