Yahoo Sports All-in together for a Sturm double success
Battling for a spot in the ÖFB Cup final
We are all set for the second instalment of our Sturm Graz double! Just days after our big win the in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, our Red Bulls are to lock horns with the Graz side again, and this time it's a matter of all our nothing!.
After the emotional high of our wonderful away win on Easter Sunday, we start the cup semi-final on Thursday all square - with only a win counting! Last year we experienced that hard reality of cup football to our cost as we were beaten by SK Sturm Graz on a penalty shoot-out as they went on to claim the trophy.
We still have a score to settle from then as we resume our bid to take the cup back to Salzburg on Thursday. Our success in the Austrian Bundesliga showed yet again just how close clashes against Christian Ilzer's side tend to be. After we played out two draws in the regular season, Mads Bidstrup fired us to our first win of the season against Sturm.
The short period between our two clashes will be used for intensive analysis on how we can do even better this time. Both teams will be forced into changes due to the late glut of red cards at the Merkur Arena.
While we have to do without Lucas Gourna-Douath after his straight red in the league clash, Sturm have two key players suspended in Jon Gorenc-Stankovic and Dimitri Lavalee.
We can look forward to a fierce battle with the Black and Whites with a spot in the final at stake. We want to count on your support from the stands again, with our winning goalscorer from Sunday saying: "We need all the fans in the stadium, as they give us the decisive extra push in these kinds of games!"
Tickets for the semi-final against Sturm Graz are still available in our online Ticket Shop.
All the latest information about coming to the stadium can be found in our regular match day info.
Anyone unable to make it there in person can still support our Red Bulls in other ways, of course. ORF 1 are broadcasting the match for free in Austria, while we will provide live updates on our website.
Injury news
Not available for the match are Nicolas Capaldo (knee), Timo Horn (stomach) and Leandro Morgalla (recovering).
Lucas Gourna-Douath is suspended following his red card on Sunday.
Samson Baidoo is training with the team again after his long injury break.
Views
The Bundesliga match was really positive. We are fully focused again now on the cup clash. It's a knockout match that we hope also goes well in front of what will hopefully be a great home crowd. We want to make the final and win the cup. We have to summon up everything we have for that and give our very best.
Defending is my strength, actually. I have worked really hard on my attacking in my eight months with FC Red Bull Salzburg. It's great that this is finally working out. It's always difficult to play against Sturm Graz. It is mostly the same things we can expect in these clashes - a lot of intensity and a very physical match. We just have to do the same things right as we did on Sunday and concentrate on the basics. We barely gave them anything in Graz, and we want to do the same this time.
Previous results in the cup this season
FC Red Bull Salzburg
1st round: SG SCU Ardagger/Viehdorf 0–6 FC Red Bull Salzburg (H/T:0-3)
Goals: Konate (x 2), Dedic, Kjaergaard, Kameri, Kaltenbrunner (o.g.)2nd round: SV Austria Salzburg 0–4 FC Red Bull Salzburg (0-3)
Goals: Forson (x 2), Dedic, PavlovicLast 16: TSV Egger Glas Hartberg 1–1 FC Red Bull Salzburg (0-0), Salzburg win 5-4 on penalties
Goal: RatkovQuarter-finals: LASK 2–3 FC Red Bull Salzburg (1-1)
Goals: Fernando (x 2), Gourna-Douath
SK Sturm Graz
1st round: SAK 2–7 SK Sturm Graz (1-3)
Goals: Wlodarczyk (x 3), Kiteishvili, Stankovic, Jantscher, Horvat2nd round: SV Leobendorf 0–3 SK Sturm Graz (0-1)
Goals: Boeving, Prass, AffengruberLast 16: GAK 2–3 SK Sturm Graz (2-1)
Goals: Wüthrich, Oberleitner (o.g.), TexeiraQuarter-finals: SK Sturm Graz 2– 0 FK Austria Vienna (2-0)
Goals: Horvat, Biereth
Gallery: Sheer emotion after the Bundesliga big match was won
