FC Salzburg: Red Bulls as the underdog in the CL neighbor duel against Bayern “offended” after a pot bankruptcy – Bundesliga
SEASON HIGHLIGHT in the city of Mozart! the FC Red Bull Salzburg faces a historic game! Next Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the Red Bulls – as the first Austrian team ever – will go into a round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Against none other than FC Bayern Munich, who won the Champions League and the previous competition, the European Cup, three times each. The first leg between the Austrian series and the German record champions begins at 21 clock – live in the league portal ticker – in the Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim, which has been sold out for days with 29,520 spectators. The main referee is the 36-year-old Englishman Michael Oliver.
The Red Bulls are “hot”: Munich-born Karim Adeyemi (front left) and Co., here before the game on December 8 against Sevilla CF, in which Salzburg won 1-0 through goal scorer Noah Okafor the well-known Promotion of an Austrian club to a Champions League knockout stage.
The sovereign table leader & defending champion of the Austrian Admiral Bundesliga is in this – viewed from a continental geographical point of view – neighborhood duel (between the Allianz Arena in Munich-Fröttmaning and the Red Bull Arena in Klessheim are just 157 km coming via the A8) with the table leader & Defending champion of the German Bundesliga clear underdog.
Coach Matthias Jaissle (33) – in the duel of the youngest CL coaches (FCB coach Julian Nagelsmann = 34), the starting position looks like this: “We know that we are playing against what is perhaps the world’s best club team at the moment and are blatant outsiders. We still want to be brave and try to bring our style of football to the pitch. It won’t be easy, but we’ll try. For the first time in the club’s history, we’re in the last 16 of the Champions League – and with the youngest team in the entire competition. This is something special for the players and our fans to enjoy now. We don’t feel any pressure, just anticipation.”
Beaten below value in the previous year and paid the apprenticeship fee
Already in the past season, the second in the premier class autumn for captain Ulmer and Co., the subscription champions of their country in the last few years dueled in the group phase. The Red Bulls were probably on par with the “Southern Star”, but were underrated and beaten “from behind” in the first leg in Salzburg. There were two defeats against the white CL titleholders (2:6 home; goals: Mergim Berisha and Okugawa or Lewandoswki 2, Kristensen ET, Boateng, Sane, Hernandez or 1:3 away; goals: Mergim Berisha or Lewandowski, Coman, Sane).
The Swiss striker Noah Okafor, who is in great form this season, remembers the two Bayern duels: “Even if the results are very clear, the games were sometimes very close. We were able to keep up very well for a long time, especially in the first game in Salzburg. But in the end Bayern showed us that we can’t make any mistakes at this high level. That’s why we want to learn and do better in these duels, even if Bayern are the favorites again this time.”
Different experiences of success of the subscription masters at the dress rehearsal
The “general rehearsal” for the third CL match between the neighbors from Salzburg and Bavaria went differently. While Salzburg once again showed mentality and morale and managed to turn things around at Rapid Vienna after going 1-0 down at the break to leave the Allianz Stadium as a 2-1 winner, FC Bayern Munich conceded in the German Bundesliga at VfL Bochum a surprising 4-2 defeat.
In the first leg, Julian Nagelsmann’s team had celebrated a 7-0 victory against the newly promoted team from the Ruhr area, but Bochum’s passionate and courageous players took revenge and played in a frenzy, especially before the break. Four goals within 31 minutes for the blue and white! Bayern last conceded more than three goals in the first half in 1975 in Frankfurt (0:5 at the break). Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, who had been let down a few times by the front men and who stood in for the injured national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, certainly hadn’t imagined the afternoon like this.
Joshua Kimmich sounds the alarm – four FCB defeats this season against teams in the double-digit table area
After the “pot bankruptcy” (once again) the ambitious Joshua Kimmich (photo SID) went ahead after the Bavarian de-ja-vus (note: in the autumn the Munich team conceded against the ex-Salzburg champion coach and player coached Gladbacher a 0: 5 cup defeat in a similar way): “It happens too often. I don’t know that from us in the past that we concede four or five goals several times.”
The 64-time German international continued: “We missed all the virtues. We have to ask ourselves whether that’s the mentality of Bayern.” It is also unusual for the renowned club from the Isar that all four previous defeats of the season came against teams with a double-digit place in the table. Although the 31-time German champion still has a comfortable lead with six points over second BVB with ex-Salzburg’s Erling Haaland, Kimmich warned a few days after his 27th birthday: “You can’t go into a game like that. It doesn’t matter how much of a lead we have.”
While his coach Julian Nagelsmann met Bochum spoke of a “crappy game”, after the unworthy first half he refrained from a cabin sermon. “If you’re 4-1 down at half-time, you don’t have to yell as a coach. Then every player has to know for himself that what we did in the first 45 minutes was obviously rubbish,” said the native of Landsberg.
When asked about the lack of mentality expected for the Champions League match in the city of Mozart, Nagelsmann said, as usual, cool and full of confidence: “I’m not worried.”
Matthias Jaissle doesn’t need that in this regard either, which his young team proved again in the 2-1 win at Rapid. “You could see that our mentality is fine. That gives us the momentum we need for the game against Bayern, said the German on the Salzburg command bridge.
At least he was reliable in the 4-2 defeat: goal guarantor Robert Lewandowski (right). The two-time world footballer (2020, 2021) tied the brace and increased his goal tally in the Bundesliga to 26 goals this season. The 33-year-old Pole has also scored nine times in six games this season in the premier class.
More match facts:
• To die The Red Bulls are the first Austrian team to reach the round of 16. For FC Bavaria is it die already 18. Participate in this round.
• The Jaissle side booked their Round of 16 ticket on Matchday 6 with a 1-0 home win against Sevilla CF to finish second in Group G, behind French champions LOSC Lille and ahead of Spain and VfL Wolfsburg .
• Captain Andreas Ulmer and Co. won all three home games in the group stage.
• Salzburg’s record in two-leg knockout ties against German clubs: 3x promotion, 2x eliminated.
• The FC Bayern won all six games in Group E and ended up ten points clear of second Benfica Lisbon, third was FC Barcelona, defeated Dinamo Kyiv. It was the second time that the German record champions had won all their group stage games – the first time was in 2019/20, when they also won the title.
• Apart from the clash between Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City, the only meeting in the round of 16 is between two reigning champions.
Personnel situation at FC Salzburg:
Bernardo, Bryan Okoh and striker Sekou Koita (all knees) and Mamady Diambou (thigh) are absent through injury. Luka Sučić still has a training deficit after recovering from illness. The use of striker Benjamin Šeško (thigh) is questionable. Veteran Zlatko Junuzovic is back in team training.
Sold out Red Bull Arena: get there first and use public transport
The home game against the German record champions is included 29,520 cards (1,500 guest fans) sold out. The FFP2 mask requirement applies to all spectators everywhere on the stadium grounds.
Due to the greatest interest or by the 2G regulations Formalities required when entering the stadium (have confirmations and ID ready) WILL be a corresponding or arrival. the use of public transport highly recommended.
Photos: FC Red Bull Salzburg by Getty and SID