Will Salzburg succeed in taking the last step in Lille?
FC Salzburg could secure a quick entry into the round of 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with a win at French champions OSC Lille.
Noah Okafor wants to make everything clear on Tuesday.
APA / KRUGFOTO
The second match ball is ready. Masters Salzburg have the next chance on Tuesday (9 p.m.) to make the historic round of 16 in the Champions League perfect. In Lille, the French champion and the first pursuer piles up as a hurdle. Before the penultimate group game, Salzburg leads the table with the best promotion chances by two points.
Champions League, 5th matchday
The cops set off for Lille on Monday with demonstrative confidence and the usual understatement. “We’re going to Lille with a big chest and of course we want to annoy them again. We are in good spirits and well prepared,” said coach Matthias Jaissle at Salzburg Airport. He emphasized that he didn’t like to talk about match points and warned against a “top team” with “unbelievable quality”. “We have to be at the hut.”
The fact that the current twelfth of Ligue 1 is beatable was shown by Salzburg with a 2-1 home win. Jaissle’s staff are unchanged, even the same starting line-up as in the “first leg” at the end of September is likely. There was still a question mark behind attacker Noah Okafor, who is suffering from a hardened thigh.
A draw could be enough
The game in the north of France has the potential to be a historic event. With a win, Die Salzburger fix would move into the knockout round of the premier class for the first time in club history. Even a draw would be enough if Sevilla do not manage to win at home against Wolfsburg at the same time. So far, only Sturm Graz has made it out of the first group phase of Austrian clubs. That was 21 years ago. The 2021 coup would be gilded by an additional 9.6 million euros, which would be distributed by UEFA for qualifying for the round of 16.
Okafor admitted he’d like to sort things out on Tuesday. “We actually decided to always look from game to game,” said the Swiss, but admitted: “The table is always a bit in the back of our mind.” After three games with seven points already fantastically on track, it could still be a close one. The 1: 2 in the last group game in Wolfsburg was a first small setback.
Salzburg also played in the league with a 1-0 win against Austria Wien and a 0-0 win against Admira. Jaissle gently smiled away when asked about Karim Adeyemi and Co.’s current lack of killer instinct. “At the weekend we also had a bit of bad luck.” He made that clear in his morning address to the team. “I’m sure we’ll do better tomorrow.” Okafor also said: “We are able to annoy and hit any opponent.”
Before pandemic-related ghost games in Austria – including the possible group “final” against Seville on December 8th – it is likely to get heated again in the stands. The Stade Pierre Mauroy, which can hold almost 50,000 spectators, will be well filled. The stadium, which was built for the European Championship in 2016, has the reputation of a cauldron thanks to its closable roof. Jaissle predicted: “It’ll be a great atmosphere.” Okafor expected a similar madhouse as in the Champions League qualification in Brondby. “If we try to block that out as best we can and focus on ourselves, we’ll do well.”
Lille slacks: “The mastiffs are tired”
The opponent has invited to a “match capital”, a play-off game. Twenty years after Lille’s very first premier class appearance, the heroes of the time are expected to keep their fingers crossed. Last year’s sensation champion rarely felt like partying. Jocelyn Gourvennec’s team hoisted themselves in an excellent position thanks to the 2-1 win in Seville in the European Cup, but Ligue 1 is a bumpy one.
Lille have been without a win for five league games. “The Great Danes are tired,” it was said last – and weakened as a replacement. The entire middle three of the Seville success could be missing. Renato Sanches has returned from the Portuguese national team with an adductor injury, Benjamin André and Jonathan Ikoné are suspended. In addition, the coach recently missed serenity and maturity. AS Monaco was given the equalizer on Friday, the national holiday in the Principality, despite the majority (2: 2).
On the other hand, young Canadian star Jonathan David, who has scored the youngest nine goals in Lille in competitive games, is in good shape. The game will be led by the Englishman Anthony Taylor, the referee of the European Championship round of 16 between Austria and Italy.