Blau-Weiß Linz and LASK: Between favorite and feared opponents

The omens for the Linz football clubs before the 19th round of the Bundesliga couldn’t be more curious. While there was talk of a favorite opponent before tomorrow’s duel between FC Blau-Weiß Linz and series champions Salzburg, LASK will be playing against a feared opponent in Hartberg on Sunday.

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Favorite opponent: Blau-Weiß Linz will take on the currently best team in Austria on Saturday: series champions Salzburg will be guests at the Hofmann-Personal-Stadion for the first time (5 p.m.). The atmosphere in front of their own audience should give the Blue and White wings: “You can’t set any limits for yourself. Salzburg have never played here before, they don’t know this atmosphere and circumstances. A lot is possible with this energy,” says coach Gerald Scheiblehner. The fact that his team can defeat the Bulls was proven in the most recent duel – the 1-0 win on September 23, 2023 in Salzburg. Scheiblehner: “It was certainly the biggest sensation in the championship so far.”

Video: Blue and White defender Lukas Tursch in an interview:

The Linz team can even claim something that no other team in Austria has achieved: Blue and White still have a clean slate against Salzburg. Admittedly: So far there have only been two duels between the two clubs. After the re-foundation of FC Blau-Weiß Linz, tomorrow’s opponents only faced each other twice in the ÖFB Cup in 2010 and in the current season – and the Royal Blues won both games. A clean slate against Salzburg: Who else has achieved this so far in the Red Bull era? Exclusively top European teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool or Atletico Madrid. “There are certainly such things as fearful opponents,” says Scheiblehner with a smile. The 46-year-old can clearly understand the surprise at the time: “They swapped a lot of players at that point due to their English weeks, which disrupted their rhythm. This time they will come with the strongest eleven. But we know that we can keep up .” Bitter: There is a question mark behind the use of striker Ronivaldo – the gold goal scorer in the most recent duel.

The feared opponent: LASK has been waiting for a complete success against Hartberg for nine matches now. In the 0-0 draw in Linz in the fall, the Styrians missed their best chances to score before the break, and Robert Zulj missed a penalty for the athletes. If the negative series ends, the athletes can tick off one goal as achieved: If they win, they are guaranteed entry into the master group three rounds before the end of the basic round.