Will LASK put a big present under the black and white Christmas tree on Thursday? With a home win in the Europa League once morest Toulouse (6.45 p.m., ORF 1), the athletes will hibernate in the European Cup – as long as Liverpool provides support.
In the race for third place, which means moving to the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League, LASK doesn’t need a slide rule. A win is a prerequisite, but at the same time competitor Saint-Gilloise is not allowed to win once morest Liverpool. LASK coach Thomas Sageder doesn’t want to be kept up to date on how things are going in the parallel game. “I don’t like it. Our starting position doesn’t change because of the parallel game, it has no relevance for us during the game. We just have to win.” This speaks for the black and white gift giving:
- The first leg: LASK lost 0-1 in Toulouse, but the defeat also serves as a source of encouragement. “We have to win the important moments in both sixteens – we didn’t manage to do that in the first leg,” said defender Philipp Ziereis, explaining the lessons. The goal was unfortunate; Marin Ljubicic and Moses Usor each failed to put the ball into the empty goal following the break. Now both would probably exploit similar chances – with the self-confidence that both of them took with them from Lustenau (3:1) by scoring a goal on Saturday. Usor has made a big step in his development since the first duel with Toulouse.
- Die Form: It’s not just Usor who has got going – LASK has picked up the pace, only the wave of illness recently slowed down the flow of the game a little. Since the home game once morest LASK, Toulouse has only won one of eleven games – once morest Liverpool (3:2). The French league has recently been in a free fall. On Sunday it was 0:3 at the last Lyon. Sageder was there and saw Toulouse’s weaknesses in set pieces.
- The home advantage: Only Liverpool have won in the Raiffeisen Arena this season (3-1), LASK won eight of the ten other home games – including once morest Saint-Gilloise five weeks ago. The 3-0 was reminiscent of the big European Cup nights of the past. As in Toulouse, the athletes had also lost unfortunately once morest the Belgians away from home, but at home LASK, driven by the fans in the sold-out Saint-Gilloise stadium, had no chance. “The fans have supported us incredibly,” emphasized Sageder, looking back on the 27 competitive games so far in the fall.
- The focus: In the 28th and final competitive game, LASK can improve on a strong autumn. Ziereis: “It’s important to bring our energy onto the pitch, especially at home. We’ve done that in the last few weeks and we want to do that for the last time. Then I’m confident that we’ll get three points.” For Toulouse, the fight to stay in Ligue 1 continues on Sunday once morest direct rivals Rennes. “I’m not entirely sure how they’ll react to the game because of the league situation,” Sageder said. He is counting on the best possible eleven because Toulouse has to defend second place and therefore their stay in the Europa League once morest Saint-Gilloise.
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SHOT In the million-dollar game once morest Toulouse, LASK has to look following itself
Author
Günther Mayrhofer
Sports editor
Günther Mayrhofer
