Success in Bosnia a must

Clean record gives LASK courage for the “must win”

Will Bomber Entrup also score in Europe?

(Bild: Binder Manfred/Sportmediapics.com/ Manfred Binder)

If LASK want to finish the winter in the Conference League, they will have to win their clash against Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka. However, there is a big question mark over the deployment of three regular players. However, the Austrian club's strong record against Bosnian representatives is a source of great encouragement.

LASK took off yesterday from Linz airport to Banja Luka in Bosnia after a 55-minute delay. The trio of Branko Jovicic, Sascha Horvath and Valon Berisha, who suffered injuries in the 2-1 defeat to RB Salzburg, were also on board for today's very important Conference League clash.

Three big question marks
Coach Markus Schopp kept his cool before the departure: "There is a huge question mark behind all three!" However, the black and white camp will do everything possible to get the trio fit after all. The clash with the Bosnian champions is almost a final match for Linz if they want to make it through the winter in the European Cup.

Memories of last year
"It's a must-win", both Schopp and goalkeeper Jörg Siebenhandl know. The Austrian statistics give good reason to hope for a win. In the eight duels against a Bosnian team so far, they have won five times and drawn three. This includes LASK with a 2-0 win and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Mostar last year.

Nevertheless, Schopp warns: "Banja Luka is a strong team that is disciplined on the ball, allows little space and knows how to defend its own goal!" A lot of patience is therefore required. A virtue that the Linzers have demonstrated enough in recent league games anyway. Because against both Altach and Salzburg, the win was wrapped up in the final minutes. That's a boost for today!