Season to end with new aim in sight

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FC Red Bull Salzburg

·15 Mei 2026

Season to end with new aim in sight

Alajbegovic, Gadou and Schuster to say goodbye

Sure, the season hasn't gone quite as planned, especially seeing the title race will be decided without our lads having a say and away from the action at the Red Bull Arena. That makes it all the more important to finish the season strongly. Which means: on Sunday from 14:30 CEST, we need to secure third place in the table in front of our home crowd and bid farewell to the Bundesliga with a win against TSV Hartberg.

The prospects for European qualification, in particular, mean that we are determined to finish third. Not only will this allow us to start the qualifying rounds two weeks later and, presumably, in a more secure position, but it also means we would only need to win one round, or under certain circumstances, even none, to qualify for a European league stage. The fourth-placed Bundesliga team, or the winner of the national European Cup play-off, on the other hand, has three rounds to go through to reach the main competition.

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But back to the present! Hartberg coach Manfred Schmid will take his place on their bench for the last time on Sunday, as they conclude the season in a decent sixth place in the league. The statistics offer some clues as to how this final match might unfold. We've won all five of our previous championship group head-to-head encounters with the Styrian side, four of them by at least three goals. The best attack in the final 15 minutes will face the weakest defence in the same period, and we'll also be facing the team with the least possession this season (only 39 percent). Hartberg only managed to pick up points at the Red Bull Arena in our last meeting, all nine other matches on Salzburg soil have gone to us with a combined goal difference of 34-7.

This final match of the season also marks the end for Kerim Alajbegovic, Joane Gadou and Jannik Schuster in Salzburg – as these highly talented players are continuing their careers in Germany and England, respectively. Haven't secured your seat yet? You can easily get your tickets online in our ticket shop. Free tickets are available for children up to and including 13 years old.

to the online Ticket Shop

For those who have already secured their seat at the Red Bull Arena, you can find everything you need to know about visiting the stadium at the following link.

to the matchday info

Can't be there in person? You can, of course, follow the match on Sky Sport Austria

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Injury news

Not available for the match are Mads Bidstrup (calf), Takumu Kawamura (knee), Oliver Lukic (back) and Justin Omoregie (shoulder).

Views

I think that Hartberg have been playing a slightly different style of football in recent matches. Perhaps it's because, given their league position, there's nothing left to play for. They're more or less settled in their position and are more confident, which is why they had more possession in recent matches against Sturm Graz, LASK Linz, and Austria Vienna. As a result, their positioning is somewhat different compared to previous games. Nevertheless, I think they'll try to defend very deep against us. For us, it's simply about finishing the season properly, and giving absolutely everything in this game to secure the three points, which would guarantee us third place.

Daniel Beichler

Of course, we want to finish the season in third place. That's why we need a good performance, because Hartberg can be a dangerous team if you give them space to counter-attack. We have to be fully focused from the start, alert, and simply ready to play well in all aspects of the game. We certainly won't be given anything for free in our final game of the season. We're determined to secure third place in the table, because that would give us a completely different perspective on European competition next season. Therefore, it's absolutely crucial for the club and for us as a team, and we'll give it our all.

Stevie Lainer