20th round of the Austrian Bundesliga. Champion Red Bull Salzburg wants to break its offensive spell against bottom team Austria Lustenau. We report live – see ticker below.
Here is the live ticker: Will the Bulls score? The recent offensive lull is set to end for series champions Red Bull Salzburg on Saturday against the bottom of the table. Salzburg have clearly won the last three duels with Austria Lustenau 6-0 and twice 4-0. Another clear victory would be balm for the Salzburg soul. Gerhard Struber’s team is still waiting for a three-pointer after two 1-1 draws in the league in the spring, pursuers Sturm Graz are currently two points behind. With Lustenau, the Bulls face a opponent at least as deep as the Blau-Weiß in Linz. The Vorarlbergers have recently appeared “more stable” in defense under new coach Andreas Heraf, said Struber. “They want to prove everything in order to build a wall here. It’s important to have a high frequency in the way we play in order to bring this wall crumbling.”Petar Ratkov, Salzburg’s only league goal scorer so far in 2024, is just as questionable because of a blow to the knee as the one last on the right wing Veteran Andreas Ulmer stepped in because of calf problems. Instead of Ulmer, Amar Dedic is available again, and Karim Konate and Dorgeles Nene are also returning to the squad after the Africa Cup. The Lustenauers have to play the suspended defender Darijo Grujcic. Question of time Struber placed the focus in training this week on positioning and analysis in the tactical area. Lustenau would try to achieve success with long game openings, including switching. “We want to work hard into the game against a very deep opponent, set a high frequency, the rhythm and the tempo,” explained the Salzburg player. His team is unbeaten in eight league games, but only managed one goal in the last four of them. “It’s not a dream concert,” said Struber when asked about the possibility of a liberating victory. “It’s also up to us how we accept things, with what power we go out with. Then, based on the quality, it is clear that we will create opportunities for ourselves. And then it’s always a question of time before the wall crumbles.” Salzburg won all of their last seven competitive games against Lustenau to nil. “This is especially the game in which we have nothing to lose,” explained Heraf, who arrived with his team on Friday. “Anything other than a defeat in Salzburg would surprise the whole of football in Austria and perhaps beyond.” Fight to stay in the league Blau-Weiß Linz would have shown how they could win something against the Bulls. The promoted team managed a 1-0 away win in September and a 1-1 draw at home last Saturday. “On a good day and with a bit of luck, something is always possible,” said Heraf. “But of course we have to leave the church in the village: we are blatant outsiders.” The Vorarlbergers only scored one goal this season before the break and received 18 – league highs in each case. They have scored all six of their points this season so far away from home. Only on a very good day, says Heraf, could something happen in Salzburg. “We can approach things relatively relaxed from the standpoint,” said the former ÖFB international. Five points are missing from the WSG Tirol in the fight to stay in the league. The division of points is still waiting in mid-March.
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