Any new ones? Salzburg is targeting the final
Red Bull Salzburg are aiming for a place in the cup final at Wolfsberger AC on Wednesday. It would be the ninth final in a row for the current leaders of the Austrian Bundesliga.
Matthias Jaissle and Salzburg are aiming for the cup final.
FC Red Bull Salzburg via Getty Images
After the 7-1 defeat at Bayern Munich, Red Bull Salzburg got back on track with a difficult 1-0 win over Sturm Graz on Sunday. While the Mozart city-dwellers in the league seem to be heading towards the next championship title, there are still a few tougher challenges to be drilled in the cup. On Wednesday (6 p.m.) Matthias Jaissle’s team will be in the semifinals at Wolfsberger AC.
Despite the current dissatisfaction in the camp, the Carinthian Jaissle expects in the fight for the final of a game: “It will definitely be very close again, every meter on the pitch will be at stake. Play be alert and perform at your best. We will invest everything in it because we are very keen on the cup final.” It would be the ninth in a row for Salzburg.
Will Okafor return to the starting XI?
Jaissle will be without Mohamed Camara (thigh), Daouda Guindo (back), Sekou Koita (knee), Bryan Okoh (knee), Jerome Onguene (ill), Samson Tijani (bruise) and Albert Vallci (thigh) in Lavanttal. Noah Okafor, on the other hand, could return to the starting XI after collecting minutes against Sturm for the first time since his thigh injury.
The 21-year-old goes into the upcoming semi-finals with a great deal of respect, also in view of WAC’s system of play: “WAC plays like us with diamonds, so they are very compact in the center and also go into the duels intensively. We also have to be ready from the first second and try to put our game on the pitch.”
Two 2-0 wins in the league
In the previous two season duels, the Salzburg team did well, both matches went 2-0 to the series champions. However, the most recent meeting in particular was exceptional, with Luka Sucic and Brenden Aaronson only securing the win in added time on 20 February.
“WAC has played a very consistent and good season so far. They have a strong team and are always very well adjusted tactically,” Jaissle did not shy away from praising the Carinthians. The opponent in the final has already been determined: SV Ried qualified for the final in Klagenfurt two weeks ago with a 2-1 home win over TSV Hartberg.