SK Sturm Graz suffered a 3-2 home defeat against Celje in the Europa League on Thursday, while FC Red Bull Salzburg fell 2-0 to Anderlecht in Belgium, leaving both clubs searching for an immediate response before the final international break of the year, sport.ORF.at reported.
Sturm manager Fabio Ingolitsch acknowledged his squad’s mental fatigue following a grueling stretch compounded by an extensive injury list. “I will make sure we get our heads back up,” Ingolitsch said on Friday after watching his side commit costly individual errors against Celje. The reigning runners-up have struggled to cope with the absence of key midfielder Otar Kiteischwili alongside multiple other sidelined regulars, preventing any meaningful squad rotation during a four-match winless run across all competitions that includes a domestic cup elimination, according to Ligaportal.
Salzburg faced its own defensive crisis in Brussels, playing without three regular starters from its standard back four in addition to influential attacker Sota Kitano. Salzburg manager Danny Röhl stated that his team must tighten up its defensive shape. “We have to try to defend even better as a team, to keep teams from getting so close to the goal,” Röhl said. The German coach expects a physical battle characterized by intense duels and contested second balls when the two sides meet at Stadion Graz-Liebenau.
Salzburg Seeks Recovery in Graz After European Setback
Sunday’s fixture marks the twelfth round of the Admiral Bundesliga season, kicking off at 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC) with live broadcast coverage on ORF1 and live tracking via Ligaportal. Referee Altmann will officiate the encounter. While Salzburg remains undefeated in domestic league play, the club sits behind league leaders SK Rapid Wien and enters Graz looking to rebound from its European setback. Sturm holds a four-match unbeaten home run against Salzburg in league play and remains undefeated at home under Ingolitsch, though the Graz side trails significantly behind the early league pace.
The hosts hope for the return of Giso Mamageischwili to bolster a depleted roster, though Ingolitsch remained non-committal on Friday regarding further medical clearances from the club’s treatment room. Salzburg travels to Styria aiming to maintain pressure at the top of the table after securing a 3-0 victory in their previous league meeting thanks to a late surge against ten-man Sturm.
Expected Lineups for Sunday
Both coaching staffs must manage heavy fixture congestion and fitness concerns when submitting their starting XIs. The projected lineups for Sunday afternoon feature distinct tactical setups:
Sturm Graz: Helac – Malic, Quarshie, Vallci – Heil, Gorenc Stankovic, Weinhandl, Balbo – S. Seidl, Matoshi – O. Diakite
FC Red Bull Salzburg: Zawieschitzky – Morgalla, Drexler, Zabransky, Krätzig – Barry, Mazurek – Redzic, G. Diakite, Lindström – Tabakovic
With domestic action pausing immediately after the final whistle, Sunday’s clash in Liebenau serves as the last chance for both squads to alter their momentum before players depart for national team duty.
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