Decision game against Toulouse: 4 reasons for LASK

Will LASK put a big present under the black and white Christmas tree on Thursday? With a home win in the Europa League against Toulouse (6.45 p.m., ORF 1), the athletes will hibernate in the European Cup – as long as Liverpool provides support.

In the race for third place, which means moving to the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League, LASK doesn’t need a slide rule. A win is a prerequisite, but at the same time competitor Saint-Gilloise is not allowed to win against Liverpool. LASK coach Thomas Sageder doesn’t want to be kept up to date on how things are going in the parallel game. “I do not like it. Our starting position does not change as a result of the parallel game; it has no relevance to us during the game. We just have to win.” This speaks for the black and white gift giving:

• The first leg: LASK lost 0-1 in Toulouse, but the defeat also serves as a source of encouragement. “We have to win the important moments in both sixteens – we didn’t manage to do that in the first leg”, defense attorney Philipp Ziereis explained the lessons. The goal was unfortunate; Marin Ljubicic and Moses Usor each failed to put the ball into the empty goal after the break. Now both would probably exploit similar chances – with the self-confidence that both of them took with them from Lustenau (3:1) with a goal each on Saturday. Usor has made a big step in his development since the first duel with Toulouse.

• Form: It’s not just Usor who has got going – LASK has picked up the pace, only the wave of illness recently slowed down the flow of the game a little. Since the home game against LASK, Toulouse has only won one of eleven games – against Liverpool (3:2). The French league has recently been in a free fall. On Sunday it was 0:3 at the last Lyon. Sageder was there and saw Toulouse’s weaknesses in set pieces.
• The home advantage: Only Liverpool have won in the Raiffeisen Arena this season (3-1), LASK won eight of the ten other home games – including against Saint-Gilloise five weeks ago. The 3-0 was reminiscent of the big European Cup nights of the past. As in Toulouse, the athletes had also lost unfortunately against the Belgians away from home, but at home LASK, driven by the fans in the sold-out Saint-Gilloise stadium, had no chance. “The fans supported us incredibly”emphasized Sageder, looking back on the 27 competitive games so far in the fall.

• The focus: In the 28th and final competitive game, LASK can improve on a strong autumn. Ornamental ice: “It’s important to bring our energy onto the pitch, especially at home. We have achieved that in the last few weeks and we want to do that for the last time. Then I’m confident that we’ll get three points.” For Toulouse, the fight to stay in Ligue 1 continues on Sunday against direct rivals Rennes. “I’m not entirely sure how they’ll react to the game given the league situation”said Sageder. He is counting on the best possible eleven because Toulouse has to defend second place and therefore their stay in the Europa League against Saint-Gilloise.