LASK travels to the Slovenian league leaders

Linz can approach their first away challenge in the Conference League with confidence, as their recent performances have boosted their morale. The Black-and-Whites are now unbeaten in six competitive matches, with their 2-1 victory over WSG Tirol marking their fourth win in this period. After the 2-2 draw in their opener against Djurgardens IF, Markus Schopp's team is eager to secure more points. "We want to play a good game and, if possible, leave the pitch as winners," said Maximilian Entrup, who recently scored the winning goal at Innsbruck's Tivoli stadium.

However, their opponents from Slovenia’s capital are also in strong form. Last season's third-place team in the Prva Liga currently leads the table after 12 matches, holding a one-point advantage over NK Maribor. The seven-time Slovenian champions were unbeaten in their first 16 competitive games this season before suffering a 1-2 loss to 1. FC Heidenheim at the start of the Conference League. After a domestic league defeat against FC Koper, Olimpija Ljubljana bounced back last weekend with a 1-0 victory over NK Nafta. Internationally, the Ljubljana side qualified for the group stage by overcoming Polissya from Ukraine, Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova, and HNK Rijeka from Croatia, just as they did last year.

For LASK, this will be their first-ever encounter in European competition with a club from Austria's southern neighbor, Slovenia. The team will also be defending an impressive record: in the group stages of the UEFA Conference League, LASK has always managed to earn points in all seven matches played so far. In their first campaign during the 2021/22 season, they recorded five wins and one draw in the group stage, winning all three of their away matches.

Both teams' top scorers have six goals each in competitive matches this season. For Olimpija Ljubljana, Raul Florucz - who played in LASK's academy until 2019 - leads the scoring charts. On the other side, Robert Žulj has contributed six goals in 11 appearances for LASK.

UEFA Conference League, Matchday 2
Thursday, 24.10.2024, 9:00 PM (live on CANAL+)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana vs. LASK
Stozice Stadium, Referee: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)

Unavailable: Lawal, Andrade, Usor, Renner; Mustapha, Tavares, Ljubic (all three not in the European squad).