LASK targets three-time Belgian champion

After their previous matches against Djurgardens IF and Olimpija Ljubljana, Linz still have four games remaining in the league phase. In clashes with Cercle Brugge, FK Borac Banja Luka, AC Fiorentina, and Vikingur Reykjavik, the team aims to collect as many points as possible. This includes the upcoming match against last season’s fourth-place team in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League. “We’re facing a very strong opponent with a lot of quality, but we definitely want to take something from this game,” said forward Florian Flecker.

The Belgians entered their first major European competition since the 1996 European Cup Winners’ Cup after a successful playoff against Wisla Krakow, beginning with a 6-2 win over FC St. Gallen. Recently, they faced a 1-3 away defeat to Vikingur Reykjavik. In the league, the team led by Austrian coach Miron Muslic currently sits in eleventh place after back-to-back wins against Royal Union Saint-Gilloise and Charleroi SC. Their top scorer by far is center-forward Kevin Denkey, who has netted eleven goals across 22 competitive matches this season.

For LASK, this will be the first encounter in history with the club from Bruges, founded in 1899 and competing in Belgium's top league since 2018. So far, the Linz team has faced clubs from the country of the 2018 World Cup third-place finisher eight times. The first of these matchups came in the Intertoto Cup in 1970 against KSK Beveren, and five years ago, the Champions League anthem sounded for the first time at the old Linz Stadium in a playoff against Club Brugge.

Memorable victories include their UEFA Europa League win over Royal Antwerp and last year’s home triumph against Saint-Gilloise, where the Black and Whites secured a 3-0 victory with goals from Sascha Horvath, Maksym Talovierov, and Robert Zulj. Since 1963, including qualification rounds, the Upper Austrian team has played 89 official UEFA matches, achieving 39 wins and 17 draws.

Unavailable for now is Lenny Pintor. The 24-year-old forward has sustained a tendon injury in the groin area and will undergo surgery on Wednesday. LASK extends their best wishes to Lenny Pintor and will support him fully in his recovery.

UECL, Matchday 3
Thu, 07.11.2024, 9:00 p.m.
LASK - Cercle Brugge
Oberösterreich Arena, Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov (BUL)

Unavailable: Lawal, Andrade, Usor, Renner, Pintor
Not in EC squad: Mustapha, Ljubic, Tavares

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