Cup semi-final

Sturm to smash “wall of terror”

Probably the most stable Salzburg defense of all time is a real bulwark.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV (Fotos: GEPA (3), Andreas Tröster, stock.adobe.com, Jasmin Walter))

Next act in the duel between Austria's two best teams: champions Salzburg welcome the Styrians to the Bullen-Arena on Thursday in the Cup semi-final. The Struber eleven will once again rely on top defense: "Must not become a passenger of emotions."

"A top match with so much at stake is very important. It can be an emotional rollercoaster," says Salzburg coach Gerhard Struber, eagerly anticipating the Cup semi-final against Sturm Graz on Thursday (20:45, live on ORF1). The head coach of the Bundesliga leaders is well aware that things will get heated again today. Which is why he says: "We have to be ready to suffer in this game and give it everything we've got."

However, one thing must not happen: Letting our emotions get the better of us, as happened on Easter Sunday in the league summit on the Mur. "We have to create a good connection between heart and brain," analyzes Struber. "We must not become passengers of our emotions."

We put that into perspective. The win in Graz is good for us, but we're not flying away because of it.

Gerhard Struber über den Triumph in der Liga

"There's a lot of adrenaline involved in games like this," says Mads Bidstrup, who recently discovered his goal-scoring qualities and got on the scoresheet against both Hartberg and Sturm. Will it get heated again today? "I think so," grins the 23-year-old Dane. Playmaker Luka Sucic, who was back on the pitch in the Mur metropolis for the first time in a competitive match after recovering from injury, agrees with his team-mate. "It's against Sturm: Final or out! It will certainly be heated, we have to give it our all."

The serial champions' greatest asset is probably their defense. Salzburg did not concede a single goal in Graz, and with only 13 goals conceded (in 24 games), they are clearly the best back line in the league.

"Best combination"
The duo of Oumar Solet and Strahinja Pavlovic stand out in particular. Last year, former Bulls boss Christoph Freund called them "the best center-back combination we've ever had (in Salzburg) for a reason." A "wall of terror" therefore awaits Sturm in the city of Mozart. The Styrians' goal: The fall of the wall! The hope of the Bulls: That Ilzer's men smash against the wall!

"They are more efficient"
"Salzburg have a lot of quality," says Sturm defender Jusuf Gazibegovic, himself a child of the Bulls (he went through the academy and played for Liefering between 2011 and 2020). Salzburg are proving that, "even if some people are talking about a not-so-good season." But: "They are more efficient, score goals when it matters. That's what we lack." Even in the semi-finals?