Happy reunion: RBS women face Royal Blues

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FC Red Bull Salzburg

·12 febbraio 2026

Happy reunion: RBS women face Royal Blues

Cup quarter-final as third meeting of the season

Get set for ball drills instead of dry runs, points and competitive matches instead of snow and friendlies – FC Red Bull Salzburg Women kick off their spring season on a Sunday, starting with the Austrian Women's Cup quarter-final against FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Kleinmünchen. Sara Telek, referee of the season in 2024/25, will kick off the match at 18:30 CET. The game will be broadcast live on ÖFB TV.

Pavlovic's charges largely prepared for the restart at home, undeterred by sometimes adverse conditions and sub-zero temperatures. Four convincing friendly wins later, our team is ready for the showdown at the Hofmann Personal Stadium on the banks of the Danube in Linz.

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Friendly 1: FC Red Bull Salzburg 2–0 Grazer AK
Friendly 2: FC Red Bull Salzburg 6–2 RB Leipzig II
Friendly 3: FC Red Bull Salzburg 8–1 SG SK Austria Klagenfurt
Friendly 4: FC Red Bull Salzburg 5–1 FC Wacker Munich

Parallels and familiar faces

It all kicks off in Linz, and we're in for a reunion in many regards. Theresa D'Angelo, who scored in both league clashes, and Lara Ritter will be facing their former club, as will Lea Krinzinger and Emily Schimm on the opposing side, who, as you know, returned to Linz in the winter. Furthermore, the two clubs' paths have crossed regularly recently. Our (successful) ADMIRAL Women's Bundesliga debut took place in August against Blau-Weiß, and our predecessors at FC Bergheim reached the semi-finals against the Linz team last year, with Tina Krassnig scoring the winning goal in that historic cup upset.

Our injury situation adds to the optimism for the weekend. Coach Dusan Pavlovic has his full squad available, with the exception of the slightly injured Maria Ganisl. Returning players Alessia Pamminger and Katja Wienerroither, the latter of whom even scored a goal against GAK during the preparation period, are also available.

Sarah Putz and Sanem Felek have both fought their way back after cruciate ligament tears, but will take a break in the spring and then consider their future plans.

Views

We are very happy with the preparations. The girls really gave it their all, worked extremely hard, and persevered 100 percent under sometimes challenging conditions. The team are really looking forward to the cup opener. Of course, we want to try and put in a good performance, but at the same time, we know that Linz has strengthened their squad and achieved good results in the preparation period – it will certainly be a close match. It's very encouraging that all players except Maria Ganisl are fully fit – we are taking a lot of quality there.

Bernd Winkler, head of our women's football department

Overall, the preparation period was very positive. We worked intensively over the past few weeks and made clear progress, especially in our playing style and intensity. You can see that the team is implementing our principles better and better – in all phases of the game. We want to further solidify this identity. Now it's about carrying this energy forward and being ready for the competitive matches. We feel well prepared and are looking forward to getting going!

Coach Dusan Pavlovic

There are no easy games in the cup, especially away from home. Blau-Weiß Linz are a very tough and compact team that brings a lot of intensity to their game. We're prepared for that, and we're looking forward to Sunday!

Dusan Pavlovic

The route to the quarter-finals

FC Red Bull Salzburg

1st round: FC Sohm Alberschwende 0–8 FC Red Bull Salzburg (H/T:0-4) Goals: G. Spinn (2), Crnoja, Hamzic, Grabovac, Krassnig, Kobler (2)
2nd round: FC Wacker Innsbruck 0–1 FC Red Bull Salzburg (0-0) Goal: Grabovac

FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Kleinmünchen

1st round: SVK Wildcats 1–2 FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Kleinmünchen (0-1) Goals: Gartner - Mayrhofer, Sachs
2nd round: SG Geretsberg/Bürmoos 0–3 FC Blau-Weiß Linz/Kleinmünchen (0-1) Goals: Mayrhofer (2), Kittel