Before the round of 16

This is how much Salzburg is in the European Cup this year

Konrad Laimer (left) is in the last 16 of the premier class with Bayern Munich.

(Bild: AP)

As of today, the path for the remaining rounds up to the finals has been determined. The clubs know what potential hurdles there are to ultimately lift one of the three coveted international trophies in Europe. Even those with a Salzburg past still have every chance of doing so.

The "Krone" went in search of clues. How much Salzburg is still in the European Cup spring after the Bulls' elimination?

German title duel also in the Champions League
You don't have to look too far to find Salzburg-related manpower. Germany's record champions FC Bayern have Konrad Laimer in their squad, as well as ex-Salzburg colleague Dayot Upamecano. The Munich side will face champions and Europa League finalists Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, against whom they recently drew twice in the league and 0-1 in the DFB Cup round of 16. The Werkself dethroned Bayern last year after eleven consecutive titles. The last time Borussia Dortmund achieved this feat was in 2011/12.

Speaking of Dortmund, last year's German finalists will be relying on the services of team player Marcel Sabitzer and Karim Adeyemi and will face French club Lille in the last 16. Lille defeated both Madrid clubs and Sturm Graz in the league phase. 

Ex-Bulle Haaland scored eight goals in nine games for Manchester City, but was beaten in the intermediate round by defending champions Real Madrid.

(Bild: Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Last but not least, England's dominant Liverpool will be relying on the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai, who grew up in Salzburg. The Premier League champions-to-be will face Paris St. Germain in the round of 16. England's representative Aston Villa, where the Jamaican Leon Bailey, who trained in Anif, is in the squad, is also not to be sneezed at. The eighth-placed team in the league phase was drawn against FC Brugge. The Belgians had surprisingly eliminated reigning Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo in the intermediate round.

Bulls record purchase against Bilbao, Sucic against Manchester United
There are still three players with Salzburg connections in the Europa League. Real Sociedad, where former Bull Luka Sucic scored twice in the 5:2 win over Midtjylland from Denmark, will face Manchester United (Eng) in the round of 16. Salzburg's record signing Lucas Gourna-Douath, who recently moved to AS Roma (he cost just under 13 million at the time), has made two Serie A appearances so far and watched his team knock Porto (Por) out of the competition. The capital team will now face Athletic Bilbao (Spain). In addition, former Bull Duje Caleta-Car, who moved from Southampton to France's top club Olympique Lyon in the winter, will face LASK conquerors FCSB from Romania in the round of 16.

Captain Matthias Seidl (left) from Kuchl is still represented by Rapid Vienna.

(Bild: GEPA)

Duel between ex-Salzburgers in the Conference League
The domestic focus is naturally on record champions SK Rapid, where Kuchl's Matthias Seidl and ex-Salzburgers Benjamin Böckle and Mamadou Sangaré are under contract. The Hütteldorfer have been drawn against Borac Banja Luka in the round of 16. Stefan Savic, who grew up in Salzburg, plays for the Bosnians. It is the home club of former Bischofshofen coach Damir Spica, who won the Yugoslavian Cup with the club in 1988, the only second division team ever to do so.

Other ex-Salzburgers: 
-) Marin Pongracic and (most recently) two-time finalists AC Florence will face Greece's Panathinaikos Athens, who turned a 2-1 away draw against Icelandic surprise Vikingur Reykjavik into a 2-0 second-leg victory in stoppage time.
-) Jagiellonia Bialystok goalie Bartlomiej Zynel is looking forward to his Polish club's clash with Belgium's Cercle Brugge (with Salzburg loanee Lawrence Agyekum and coach Ferdinand Feldhofer). 
-) Fredrik Gulbrandsen returned home to Norway in 2023 and promptly became champion with Molde FK. The reigning cup winners struggled to advance against Ireland's surprise Shamrock Rovers in a penalty shoot-out and will now face Poland's cup winners Legia Warsaw. For both Polish clubs, the final will take place in Wroclaw this year, so motivation should be extra high.

Referee Sebastian Gishamer was in action in the Euro League intermediate round in Enschede.

(Bild: EPA)

The referee spearhead
Salzburg is also represented among the referees this year. Sebastian Gishamer, who hails from Bürmoos, has refereed eight games this season in Europe and the Conference League, including qualifying. Most recently, he caused a stir in the Euro League first leg between FC Twente (NL) and Bodö/Glimt (Nor) when he awarded a penalty in stoppage time that led to a 2-1 home win for the home side. However, this did not help the Dutch team, who were eliminated in the second leg with a 2:5 loss after extra time. In addition to Gishamer, former Salzburg goalscorer Marina Zechner and Lungau assistant Roland Riedel, who became a father for the first time at the beginning of February, are also eligible for international duty.