Champions League

LIVE from 9pm: Salzburg face Feyenoord

Can Salzburg bounce back today after their recent setbacks?

(Bild: Tröster Andreas/Kronen Zeitung)

Matchday four of the new Champions League: Austria's runners-up FC Red Bull Salzburg face Feyenoord Rotterdam away from home. We will be reporting live (see below) from this match! 

Here is the LIVETICKER:

The mood could be much better - Red Bull Salzburg go into tonight's Champions League game at Feyenoord Rotterdam with a dismal record, little confidence and major personnel worries. While the Dutch side led by ÖFB team player Gernot Trauner are aiming to take another step towards the play-offs, the Bulls' dream of promotion could be shattered at half-time. But coach Pep Lijnders sees the "glass half full".

Coach Pep Lijnders

(Bild: GEPA)

"A soccer temple, the biggest stadium in the Netherlands!"
After the 4-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at the start of the season, Feyenoord added six points to their premier class account against Girona (3-2) and Benfica (3-1), while Salzburg have a clean sheet after three games - and a disastrous goal difference of 0:9. Things aren't looking much rosier in the league either for the former Austrian champions. They have failed to score in four of their last six league games and have picked up just 9 points out of a possible 18 - most recently they were almost relieved with a 0-0 home draw against bottom club GAK. Feyenoord, on the other hand, have won seven of their last nine competitive matches (one draw, one defeat). The current fourth-placed team in the Eredivisie will be waiting with a broad chest.

The 50,000-capacity stadium "De Kuip" (The Tub), where Sturm Graz went down 6-0 in the Europa League group stage in the fall of 2022, will also provide support. "A soccer temple, the largest stadium in the Netherlands. The fans can whip up a storm for their team," said Lijnders, who has "mixed feelings" about returning home. "You're happy to come to the Netherlands. But I would have liked to come back with a few more points," emphasized the 41-year-old.

Janis Blaswich

(Bild: GEPA)

Prospects for the round of 16 play-off rather bleak
His team is only 34th out of 36 teams in the CL table. The prospects of a place in the top 24, necessary for the play-off for the round of 16, are already rather bleak. Nine or ten points will probably be needed for that, but the toughest opponents by far are still to come: Bayer Leverkusen (26.11./away), Paris Saint-Germain (10.12./home), Real Madrid (22.1.2025/a) and finally Atletico Madrid (29.1./h).

However, it is not only the combination of attacking inefficiency and defensive fragility that must worry Salzburg fans ahead of the clash with the 16-time Dutch champions (most recently in 2023) and reigning cup winners, but also the ever-growing injury list. Long-term absentees such as Fernando and Takumu Kawamura have recently been joined by Moussa Yeo and Amar Dedic.

The Salzburg team, which recently lost at home to Dinamo Zagreb ...

(Bild: GEPA)

"If we stay true to our style, then ..."
As if that wasn't enough, Lijnders received the news at the start of the week that Mads Bidstrup and Stefan Bajcetic were suffering from a stomach bug. And on Tuesday, another midfielder, Maurits Kjaergaard, had to pull out of training. Alexander Schlager, who was suspended following his red card in the 2-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, will also be sidelined and will be replaced in goal by Janis Blaswich.

Lijnders has almost gotten used to it. "Since the first international break, we've always had to tinker with something new," he emphasized. It is anything but conducive to establishing his system of play. "You need a certain consistency for a team to grow." There is a particular shortage in midfield. "Fortunately, I have a few other players with ambition and passion," Lijnders clarified. He does not want to deviate from his playing idea. "If we stay true to our style, then the chances and the goals will come." But one thing is clear: "We need everyone in a scoring mood. What we've learned from the first Champions League games is: you have to be ice-cold."