Optimism in Salzburg before CL kick-off against Sparta Prague

FC Bayern lost in Salzburg, Leipzig did not get past the draw against Bruges in the Champions League. Can FC Salzburg now cause a stir against Sparta Prague?

Salzburg’s coach Matthias Jaissle was optimistic at the final press conference before the duel with the Czech champions on Wednesday: “We are very confident, we have a good feeling. We want to show from the start that we want to win the game. We don’t want to hide, we want to play our game.”

In any case, the people of Salzburg can build on the strong performance in the Bundesliga against Austria Lustenau (3:1), even if the coach did not want to overestimate it: “Of course, it was important for us to get the three points at home. Especially after the Champions League game last week, it was important to bounce back in the Bundesliga and show a good performance. The team has done that well. But of course these two games are difficult to compare.”

After all, in the Champions League, the opponents are of a completely different caliber. “I think Sparta Prague has a good team. They have players with international experience. They have a lot of quality in their ranks. They have shown in the qualifiers that they can play football,” said Jaissle.

Former Salzburg star Patson Daka failed to score for Leicester City on Matchday 1. Nevertheless, Jaissle warns of the Zambian: “He’s a good boy, I’m very happy for him. I’m always happy when he scores. I think he can also be dangerous if he gets the chance.”

The coach himself will not be able to help from the outside against Prague due to a yellow card suspension. “Of course, it’s a pity that I can’t be there on the sidelines. But I’m sure that my coaching team will do a good job and that the boys will give their all on the pitch. I’ll support the team from home and cheer them on,” said Jaissle.

Salzburg’s captain Andreas Ulmer is also optimistic: “We know that Sparta Prague is a good team. But we also know that we can beat them. We have a lot of quality in our team and we are very confident. We want to win the game and get off to a good start in the Champions League.”

The game against Sparta Prague will kick off on Wednesday at 6.45 p.m. at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg.