Thomas Letsch is celebrating his comeback as Salzburg coach on the biggest possible football stage. He has now answered the goalkeeper question, but not until the end of January.
David Mayr reports from Madrid
Thomas Letsch really couldn’t have chosen a bigger stage for his comeback as Salzburg coach. On Wednesday evening (9 p.m., LIVE! on kicker), the 56-year-old German will be on the Mozartstadt bench for the first time in nine years against Real Madrid in the Bernabéu Stadium. His previous record of work in charge with the Bulls dates back to December 2015, when he scored four points in two games against Mattersburg (0-0) and Rapid (2-0) as interim coach between Peter Zeidler and Óscar García.
Champions League league phase – 7th matchday
Now Letsch is the desired permanent solution in Wals-Siezenheim to get Salzburg back on the usual successful track after the odyssey under Pepijn Lijnders. However, the task of restarting could hardly be more difficult. Real has digested the humiliation of the Supercopa final against Barcelona (2:5) with victories against Celta de Vigo (5:2 after extra time in the Cup) and Las Palmas (4:1 in La Liga) and is primarily building on the increase in form by star striker Kylian Mbappé.
“You can say: ‘First game, Champions League and then against Real Madrid. Oh dear!’ Or you can say: ‘What could be hotter?’” Letsch sees the magnitude of the challenge as positive. Of course, it’s also clear to him: “The roles in a game like this are clearly assigned, we’re playing against the reigning Champions League winners. Nevertheless, we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
-First Blaswich, then Schlager – and after that?
Janis Blaswich is also very excited about the premier class duel with the Royals. “You can call it a childhood dream to be on the pitch here at the Bernabéu. You can compete with the best in the world. Everyone is looking forward to the game, everyone is excited about it,” said the 33-year-old veteran, who played in Madrid will guard the Salzburg goal.
Head coach Letsch explained: “Alex Schlager unfortunately fell ill during the training camp, so this fight for number 1 couldn’t take place. That’s why we decided that Janis will start here and will also lead the team onto the field as captain. Alex will Then start against Atlético (January 29th, note), then we’ll see.”
Alaba’s starting eleven comeback? “Maybe not tomorrow”
In unison, Letsch and Blaswich raved about the atmosphere in the completely renovated Bernabéu in Madrid’s northern business district. “I was here recently at the Clásico and was able to observe the atmosphere from the stands. It’s impressive before the game when the anthem is sung,” said Letsch. The guests from Salzburg want to “draw energy” from this.
They will receive support from 4,500 fans from home – an away record for the Bulls. “It means a lot to us that we have this large number of supporters with us. I think it will be a nice game and a great atmosphere for the fans too. We will also hear our supporters loudly,” Blaswich is sure.
With all the quality of the opponent (Letsch: “You won’t hear any weaknesses from Real from me, because that doesn’t do this team justice”), the Salzburg coach hopes that ÖFB star David Alaba will have to wait a little longer before he beats Madrid Defense strengthened again in the long term after his short appearance against Las Palmas. “I’m happy for him personally and for Austria as a whole that he’s fit again. He’s an exceptional player, so I hope he can start playing soon. But maybe not tomorrow,” said Letsch with a wink.
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