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Austria Now News – Linz
Austrian club LASK host Slovak side Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday evening at 21:00 at the Raiffeisen-Arena in Linz in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League league phase, a match the team sees as an opportunity to improve its chances of reaching the knockout stage.
A guest without points
Slovan Bratislava sit bottom of the league-phase table without a single point after three defeats against Paris Saint-Germain (1:6), VfB Stuttgart (0:3) and AS Roma (0:4), giving them a goal tally of one scored and 13 conceded. According to oe24, the team has lost all 11 of its matches in this competition across seasons, and has also lost its four previous matches in Austria, conceding 14 goals.
However, the Slovak side is in good form domestically, unbeaten in its last seven matches in the Slovak league, most recently winning 2:1 against Podbrezová.
LASK regain their confidence
After a shaky start with defeats against AEK Athens (0:1) and Liverpool (3:6), LASK secured an important 3:2 win over Sporting in Lisbon. Domestically, they turned a 1:3 deficit against Ried in the cup into a 5:4 victory after extra time, before beating WSG Tirol 2:1.
Fatigue, however, poses a challenge: Tuesday’s match is the team’s eighth in 24 days. Player Alessandro Schöpf stressed that playing every three days drains energy, but that this must not be an excuse. Striker Saša Kalajdžić could return after a precautionary rest. Coach Dietmar Kühbauer warned against underestimating the opponent, describing them as an equal match.
No away fans
The match will be played without supporters of the visiting team, after UEFA banned ticket sales to Slovan fans and fined the club 40,000 euros over rioting during the match in Rome. The Slovak club intends to appeal the decision. A win would bring LASK closer to the top 24 places that qualify for the knockout stage.
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Sources
- oe24 – K.-o.-Phase im Blick! LASK nimmt Slovan ins Visier – 02.11.2026 – https://www.oe24.at/a/k-o-phase-im-blick-lask-nimmt-slovan-ins-visier-900129404
- oe24 – Nach Mega-Randale: Slovan-Fans in Linz unerwünscht – 02.11.2026 – https://www.oe24.at/a/nach-mega-randale-slovan-fans-in-linz-unerwuenscht-900129357
