Bundesliga in the ticker:

Red Bull Salzburg v Wolfsberg – LIVE from 5pm

(Bild: GEPA)

22nd matchday of the Austrian Bundesliga. Red Bull Salzburg host Wolfsberger AC, we report live - see ticker below. 

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Red Bull Salzburg could return to where they have not been since the third round in August last year at the end of the basic round of the Bundesliga - in the top three of the table. The fourth-placed former champions will host third-placed WAC on Sunday, with coach Thomas Letsch hoping for a win. However, they recently suffered a setback with a 1-1 draw at bottom club Altach.

"Unfortunately, we failed to continue our race to catch up as a result," explained Letsch. Before that, the "Bulls" had beaten the two top teams, Sturm Graz and Austria Vienna, which raised hopes of bringing the championship title to the city of Mozart after all. They are currently eight points off the top. "We definitely don't want to let the gap get any bigger, and then it's a new competition," said Letsch.

Goal is the championship title
In the event of a victory over the WAC, they would start the season a maximum of four points behind first place in the championship group and could therefore clinch the title under their own steam. "At Red Bull, the goal is always to become champions. Anything can happen in ten rounds, it will be more exciting than ever," predicted Letsch, praising the league format as "good and exciting".

Thomas Letsch

(Bild: APA/DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK)

Although the WAC conceded a surprising home defeat against Blau-Weiß Linz the previous week, they have already picked up victories against prominent clubs such as Rapid and Sturm this year. "If you're third after 21 rounds, that's no coincidence. They simply do it very well, defend well, have a clear structure and are quick as an arrow when switching. We have to stop their counter-attacks and be tight, but conversely we also have to find solutions to break them down," explained Letsch.

Didi Kühbauer

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

There was explicit praise for WAC coach Dietmar Kühbauer. "He has formed a strong team." The Burgenland native is not allowed to sit on the bench against Salzburg due to a yellow card suspension. "That must be terrible for a coach," assumed Letsch. "But he can influence the team until shortly before kick-off, even if it's not the ideal situation."

No defensive battle expected from the WAC
While Salzburg have won their last four home games against the WAC and are unbeaten in nine rounds, Wolfsburg suffered their first defeat in eight competitive matches last week. Kühbauer is now demanding a suitable response from his squad. "We want to take something with us, and to do that we need courage in our forward play." A defensive battle is not to be expected from WAC, Kühbauer affirmed. "We will probably have to defend more than usual, but it would be bad if we only thought about defending."

The WAC coach did not want to overestimate Salzburg's unusually high number of failures this season. "We don't need to think that they're not on track. They still have quality and will play for the championship title. We don't want to bring them back to life," emphasized Kühbauer.