Salzburg has to deal with Sturm Graz in the twelfth round. The bulls also want to score three points against their first rival.
Austria’s series champion and lone league leader Salzburg asks in the hit of the 12th round of the Bundesliga on Sunday (from 5 p.m. in the Sport24 LIVE ticker) his first pursuer Sturm Graz to dance. Rarely has one of the two teams entered the game as the clear favorite in comparable duels as the “Bulls”: While Sturm has to pay tribute physically to the Europa League exertions without rewarding himself for it, Salzburg in the premier class is the historic rise within reach.
“The next cracker is waiting for us,” said successful coach Matthias Jaissle, his full-back Rasmus Kristensen is good for it. “We have an extremely good feeling and a lot of self-confidence. Nothing better can happen to us than the next top game. We are ready,” he said Dane. Salzburg is still unbeaten in Bundesliga home games in calendar year 2021, in the past 42 games in front of their own audience they have always scored at least once. “We hope this run continues,” said Jaissle. The last “zero” at home happened on March 10, 2019 – in a 0-0 win against Sturm.
Cops with no motivation problems
The switch from the glamorous premier class to the domestic lowlands has always been a success so far, and this time too he is assuming it. “We have always mastered that in the end, the team was always ready and always performed well. That will also be the case on Sunday. The question of motivation does not arise at all,” said Jaissle. In any case, the game does not have a decisive character – also in view of the separation of points after 22 rounds: “This game will have no effect on the championship.”
The only point loss in the Bundesliga came with stragglers Altach the week before, the defensive bulwark of the home side could only be overcome once at 1-1. A completely different game is waiting for us on Sunday. “It will be an open exchange of blows, they play an impressive football, and the coach has a clear idea of the game. It will be a real challenge for us, a cool game,” said Jaissle, who warned above all about the standards and the changeover game in Graz .
The duel in the first half of the season went to Salzburg
Salzburg won the first duel between the two teams at the start of the season in Graz 3-1. The dense game program has left its mark on Sturm since then, and the possibilities for variation are reduced by several failures. “The injuries deprive us of the opportunity to rotate. That costs substance,” said coach Christian Ilzer.
On Thursday, Alexander Prass (thigh) and Jusuf Gazibegovic (knee) injured in the 0-1 draw against Real Sociedad, which is why Stefan Hierländer, who has not yet fully recovered from a knee injury, had to play around 60 minutes of play. Otar Kiteishvili and Sandro Ingolitsch are also not available. Ilzer hoped that his team could at least take a moral boost with them to Wals-Siezenheim: “That was our best performance in the Europa League, we will build on that.”
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