One last step needed

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FC Red Bull Salzburg

·25 August 2024

One last step needed

Dynamo Kyiv between us and sixth consecutive Champions League spot

News broke ahead of the decisive second legs for the UEFA Champions League play-off that the UEFA Champions League anthem is getting a remix. The vocals will be more dominant, and the melody will get a more subtle sound from a carefully selected orchestra, according to a UEFA press release. Our coach Pep Lijnders has been clear enough that there is no topping Coldplay as far as he is concerned. Could this all be a ploy to win our new boss over?

The new anthem will sound out at our Red Bull Arena in whatever form this Tuesday just before 21:00, Austrian time. A Sky Full Of Stars from Chris Martin and Co would also be an apt tune ahead of our return match with Dynamo Kyiv - with our side powered by our midfield conductor Mads Bidstrup – who reeled off an incredible 14 kilometres in Lublin, on the threshold of a sixth consecutive Champions League appearance after a 2-0 first-leg win.

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Our side have been busy preparing since Thursday, with our club making the most of a clause that allowed for our ADMIRAL Bundesliga match against TSV Hartberg scheduled for Saturday to be postponed to permit full concentration on our European assignment. Shovkovskyi's side also had a free weekend to prepare for the decisive encounter.

2-0 lead from Lublin

It is only half-time in the tie with Dynamo, but our boys have good reason to be confident ahead of the second leg. A cushion of at least two goals from a first leg has been enough to see us progress in 14 out of 15 cases in European football. Things look even bleaker from a Kyiv perspective, with the side never before in twelve attempts recovering from a two-goal first-leg deficit to progress. Should our Red Bulls progress, they will help break new ground in Austrian football as one of two sides in Europe's most prestigious competition for the first time (with Sturm Graz already qualified).

Sky Sport Austria are showing Tuesday's second leg exclusively in Austria. We will provide live text updates on our English website.

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Not available for the match are Fernando (thigh), Daouda Guindo (metatarsal), Takumu Kawamura (knee), Karim Konate (knee) and Leandro Morgalla (thigh). Aleksa Terzic picked up a thigh injury in the first leg and is also out. New signing Bobby Clark is not eligible to appear in the play-offs.

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Winning away and taking a clean sheet was very important for us. I have to stress though that we are only halfway through the tie and haven't achieved anything yet. It will be important to analyse the first leg well and check what we have to improve on. We see the second match in Salzburg as a completely separate match, and we are not simply going to try to defend a lead from the first leg. We have to play as we did at Dynamo, with just as much purpose and by sticking to our playing style.

Pepijn Lijnders

It all went well in the first leg, and the result was really good. We did a lot of things well and go into the second leg feeling positive. We will give our all once again in the remaining 90 minutes or more to be in the Champions League again. We hope that as many fans as possible can support us at the Red Bull Arena and push us to taking this last step.

Lucas Gourna-Douath