Bundesliga in the TICKER

LIVE from 5pm: SCR Altach vs Red Bull Salzburg

In the first leg in Salzburg, Altacher were able to annoy the favorites for a long time ...

(Bild: GEPA)

21st round in Austria's Bundesliga: SCR Altach host FC Red Bull Salzburg. We report live (see below). The score is currently 0:0.

Here is the LIVETICKER:

Runners-up Red Bull Salzburg will be looking to continue their upward trend in the Bundesliga at bottom club SCR Altach. Under new coach Thomas Letsch, the Salzburgers have recently managed to break free with victories against title rivals Austria Vienna (1-0) and Sturm Graz (3-1). The gap between the fourth-placed team and leaders Graz is six points. Nevertheless, Altach coach Fabio Ingolitsch sees the "Bulls" as one of the favorites once again.

Thomas Letsch

(Bild: GEPA)

Salzburg are now unbeaten in eight league games. In the four games under Letsch, they have only conceded two goals. "We put in a good performance against two top teams recently and were rewarded with three points. We now want to do the same in Altach," explained the German. The second half against Sturm in particular, when the "Bulls" turned a 0:1 deficit into a 3:1 win, was enough to inspire respect from the opposition.

Adam Daghim provided the groundwork for all three Salzburg goals and is pushing his way into the team. Letsch will still be without the long-term injured Karim Konate, Maurits Kjaergaard and Takumu Kawamura as well as Hendry Blank in the Ländle. "Altach urgently need points to get away from the bottom of the table, we need them to start the championship round on a good footing," said the Salzburg coach. They want to build on the final phase of the game in Graz. "Of course we want to continue our good run in Altach," added defensive youngster Joane Gadou. "Our goal is to pick up as many points as possible in the basic round."

Salzburg's return to old virtues
The points will be halved during the international break the week after next. The former serial champions from Salzburg, who were dethroned last year, would then only be three points behind the leaders. "The last two wins against direct rivals have shown that they will play for the championship title again this year," said Altach coach Ingolitsch. "If they play like they did against Sturm in the second half, nobody will be able to stop them."

Fabio Ingolitsch

(Bild: GEPA)

Ingolitsch, who himself spent many years in the Salzburg substructure, identified a different approach than under Letsch's predecessor Pep Lijnders, who wanted to further develop Red Bull soccer. "With Thomas Letsch, we have deliberately taken a step back so that we can move forward again," said the Altach coach. The path back to the basics seems to be bearing fruit. Ingolitsch: "A team is waiting for us that is a bit unleashed after the last two games."

Altach came close to a sensation in the first leg
Altach came close to a sensation in the first match of the season in Salzburg, but lost 1-2 after leading 1-0 and conceding two goals in the final ten minutes. They have only won one of their last 23 encounters with Salzburg. "There's certainly a better time to face them," said Ingolitsch, who also has to replace the suspended defensive mainstay Paul Koller. "But we will try to make life as difficult as possible for them."

His team are two points behind GAK at the bottom of the table after their recent 5-0 defeat at Rapid. "You certainly can't deny us the fight," emphasized Ingolitsch. However, it is important to make the right decisions in match situations and keep a cool head. A tough relegation battle awaits in the qualifying group from the end of March. His younger brother Sandro Ingolitsch, who plays at outside right, remained calm: "We have some players who have been through this before. We know exactly what we're up against."