Whether this calculation will work remains to be seen. After all, it was Schmidt who laid the foundation for the Salzburg brand from 2012 to 2014 with his pressure-intensive kick. Struber spoke of “coaching ideas that have certain similarities. This could be a battle of attrition at a very high level.”
The 2-2 draw against Sturm Graz on Saturday may have been seen as an endurance test, but Benfica’s test is of a completely different quality. “They have a young, hungry team that was strengthened in the summer with a number of established players, including two world champions,” said Struber regarding the opponent.
Salzburg starts the Champions League season
A difficult task awaits Salzburg on Wednesday with Benfica Lisbon at the start of the Champions League season. Austria’s champion team travels to Portugal as outsiders, but still with a lot of confidence.
“We want to play bravely and smartly”
The Argentine world champions Angel di Maria and captain Nicolas Otamendi (both 35 years old) are also part of the staff, as are the midfielders Orkun Kökcü (22) and Joao Neves (18) and the 19-year-old central defender Antonio Silva. Salzburg still remembers the latter from the 6-0 defeat against Benfica in the 2022 Youth League final. In 2017 they won the final 2-1.
GEPA/Zed Jameson Salzburg’s fifth Champions League season in a row starts in Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz
“Individually high quality, an incredibly good tactical understanding” distinguished the A-Team of the international talent factory. “We may be outsiders, but we want to play courageously and smartly,” stated Struber and promised: “We will go all in.”
Schedule and tables
Champions League, Group D, first matchday
Wednesday, 9 p.m
Benfica – Salzburg
Lisbon Stadium of Light, SR Umut Meler (TUR)
Possible lineups:
Benfica: Trubin – Bah, Silva, Otamendi, Aursnes – Neves, Kökcü – Di Maria, Rafa, Joao Mario – Musa
Salzburg: Schlager – Dedic, Solet, Pavlovic, Terzic – Gourna-Douath – Bidstrup, Gloukh, Kjaergaard – Simic, Konate
The 46-year-old naturally believed his team could win. “It would of course be nice if we could win away from home again in the Champions League. It’s been a while since our last win,” he explained. The second of two victories in the premier class abroad (a total of twelve games so far) dates back to December 1, 2020. At that time, they won 3-1 against Lok Moscow.
Start in front of an impressive backdrop
Like Struber, goalkeeper Alexander Schlager is also looking forward to his debut in the premier class. And all this in front of an impressive backdrop in the Estadio da Luz, which has a capacity of around 65,000 spectators and was built for the 2004 European Championship.
“Benfica is a team very similar to ours and will also give us opportunities to press balls,” predicted the ÖFB team player. “They like to have the ball, but they are also very pressure-oriented and will put us under pressure very early on. We have to be confident about something.”
Starting grid open
Which starting eleven Struber selects will depend not least on medical questions. While central defender Strahinja Pavlovic was missing against Sturm after falling ill, the Serb is expected to be back in the game this time. However, it is questionable whether he will form the defensive center alongside Oumar Solet due to the Frenchman’s thigh injury. Lucas Gourna-Douath’s deployment in defensive midfield is also a little wobbling as he is struggling with an ankle problem. Struber wanted to make a decision at short notice, as he emphasized before departure.
2023-09-20 14:01:24
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