Season to end with new aim in sight

TL;DR

The season concludes with a crucial match for third place against TSV Hartberg on Sunday at 14:30 CEST. Key players Alajbegovic, Gadou, and Schuster will be leaving the team.

Key points

Final match on Sunday at 14:30 CEST
Facing TSV Hartberg
Alajbegovic, Gadou, and Schuster leaving
Aiming for third place in the Bundesliga
Need to finish the season strongly

FC Red Bull SalzburgTSV HartbergAlajbegovicGadou

Season to end with new aim in sight

Alajbegovic, Gadou and Schuster to say goodbye

Sure, the season hasn't gone quite as planned, especially seeing the title race will be decided without our lads having a say and away from the action at the Red Bull Arena. That makes it all the more important to finish the season strongly. Which means: on **Sunday from 14:30 CEST,**we need to secure third place in the table in front of our home crowd and bid farewell to the Bundesliga with a win against TSV Hartberg.

The prospects for European qualification, in particular, mean that we are determined to finish third. Not only will this allow us to start the qualifying rounds two weeks later and, presumably, in a more secure position, but it also means we would only need to win one round, or under certain circumstances, even none, to qualify for a European league stage. The fourth-placed Bundesliga team, or the winner of the national European Cup play-off, on the other hand, has three rounds to go through to reach the main competition.

But back to the present! Hartberg coach Manfred Schmid will take his place on their bench for the last time on Sunday, as they conclude the season in a decent sixth place in the league. The statistics offer some clues as to how this final match might unfold. We've won all five of our previous championship group head-to-head encounters with the Styrian side, four of them by at least three goals. The best attack in the final 15 minutes will face the weakest defence in the same period, and we'll also be facing the team with the least possession this season (only 39 percent). Hartberg only managed to pick up points at the Red Bull Arena in our last meeting, all nine other matches on Salzburg soil have gone to us with a combined goal difference of 34-7.

This final match of the season also marks the end for – as these highly talented players are continuing their careers in and , respectively. Haven't secured your seat yet? You can easily get your tickets online in our ticket shop. Free tickets are available