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LASK stayed the course ahead of the all-important Europa League away game on Thursday at Royal Antwerp. After the 2-0 win at Sturm Graz on Sunday, Linz remains third in the Bundesliga behind Salzburg and Rapid. They now have three consecutive victories in competitive games. WAC also triumphed in the Europa League dress rehearsal, thanks to Michael Liendl, a 3-1 win at Admira was also on the way to victory in the league.
LASK coach Dominik Thalhammer spoke of a “labor victory.” In fact, his team in Graz got into trouble after a good start in the second half. “We didn’t have the right balance. It was always a dangerous match,” explained the former ÖFB women’s team boss. But he was very satisfied with the defensive performance. Sturm pressed us. You need mental stability. You also need it to be able to cope with the double load.
International games are on the program every week. Thursday’s opponents Antwerp are impeccable leaders in the Europa League with six points and recently surprised with a 1-0 win over Tottenham. “There are also teams that are very similar,” Thalhammer said on Sky. The Belgians would also operate on a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 system. “It will be exciting to see which idea will prevail.”
The Linzers want to preserve their chances of promotion. “I think it’s a very, very important game for us,” Thalhammer said. “We hope we can win.” It should be successful with James Holland. The midfielder, who was still injured in Graz, should start training on Monday or Tuesday and replace the suspended Lukas Grgic in Antwerp. “With the rotation we can do quite well, this Thursday we will be fresh again,” promised scorer Husein Balic.
Sturm is back in action on Wednesday in the Cup round of 16 against second division Wacker Innsbruck. Graz suffered its first loss of the season against LASK after an initial deficit. Two wins in six league games means fifth place. “We have room for improvement,” said coach Christian Ilzer. The appearance was “very neat” after the difficulties began. “We adapt better to the rhythm during the course of the game.”
Christian Ilzer on the loss: “Maybe a little bit of quality is lacking”
The Styrians did not hide. “To be able to solve this intensive team, there may be a bit of a lack of quality in the passing game and also in the speed of action,” Ilzer said. “You need even calmer and even more speed.” Captain Stefan Hierländer spoke of a “learning experience”. Against Innsbruck “a similar performance is needed to advance”. Three games in a week shouldn’t cause any problems for the team. Ilzer: “It is a prerequisite that we go to this cup match with a very fit team.”
After that, a guest appearance at WAC awaits in the league on Sunday. After the 4-1 victory at Feyenoord Rotterdam in the southern part of the city, the Carinthians managed to reverse the trend in their domestic businesses. With six points and seventh place you can “look back at the table with one eye”, as coach Ferdinand Feldhofer explained. “It doesn’t look too bad.” The Wolfsbergs also gained confidence for EL’s upcoming performance on Thursday at Dinamo Zagreb, which they will tackle as leaders of their group.
Liendl will play an important role again. As in Rotterdam, the captain scored twice from the penalty spot for Admira. He was encouraged by the choice as “EL Player of the Week.” “It’s a great experience to be chosen player of the round,” said the 35-year-old. Former Austrian midfielder Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1860 Munich may have his best in the late autumn of his career. “I know I’m in very, very good shape right now. But I also had the quality before and I showed it at my stations before,” Liendl emphasized.
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