Despite losing their unbeaten streak last time out, LASK Linz have already sealed top spot in the Austrian Bundesliga’s relegation group ahead of Friday’s final game against Rheindorf Altach.
While LASK are nine points clear of nearest rivals Hartberg going into the last matchday, Altach sit just one place above the drop zone and could go down if they fail to win at Raiffeisen Arena.
Match preview
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While defeat to Grazer AK recently ended LASK’s eight-match unbeaten streak – an impressive run featuring seven wins and one draw – they still lead the Austrian top flight’s relegation group and are guaranteed to finish first.
All teams kept their points earned before the league split in two, so the Linz club actually have just two fewer than championship group leaders Sturm Graz going into the final matchday – and they have also qualified for a European playoff.
Aiming to finish with a flourish, Die Athletiker are now looking to extend their seven-match streak without a home defeat, having last lost as hosts in early February, against city rivals Blau-Weiss Linz.
Across their last four league games at Raiffeisen Arena, LASK have kept consecutive clean sheets while scoring nine times, so they will expect to sign the season off with another success on Friday.
While they came out on top when they played Altach in March – with Andres Andrade and Krystof Danek both finding the net – LASK lost 2-1 when the teams last met in Linz, so they now seek revenge.
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That victory for Altach was one of just five from 31 league games this season – the club’s worst record at this late stage of a campaign – and they are unsurprisingly still threatened by the drop.
SCRA have won one – against WSG Tirol – drawn three and lost three in their last seven, leaving them only one point above last place.
Still, that represents some progress, as Altach went into the split as the Bundesliga’s bottom club.
Last time out, Fabio Ingolitsch saw his side held to a goalless draw by relegation rivals Austria Klagenfurt on home turf, fluffing the chance to secure their survival.
As a result, Altach hold only the slimmest of advantages over Klagenfurt with 90 minutes of the campaign remaining – but they remain masters of their own destiny.
Team News
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LASK will be missing several men for Friday’s game, including injured goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth, so Tobias Schutzenauer again deputises between the posts.
Lenny Pintor, Moses Usor, and Valon Berisha are sidelined too, while Florian Flecker and key defender Andres Andrade must serve suspensions.
The latter was sent off last week, so either Melayro Bogarde or veteran centre-back Jerome Boateng could start in his absence.
Twelve-goal top scorer Maximilian Entrup features up front for the hosts, while Lukas Fridrikas is joint-top of Altach’s goal rankings with three – but he must compete with Ousmane Diawara and Marlon Mustapha for selection up front.
Both Lukas Gugganig and Mike-Steven Bahre are banned following yellow cards last week, meaning at least two changes will be required for this crucial contest.
LASK Linz possible starting lineup:
Schutzenauer; Ziereis, Boateng, Smolcic; Lang, Ljubic, Coulibaly, Bello; Zulj, Entrup, Danek
Rheindorf Altach possible starting lineup:
Stojanovic; Ingolitsch, Zech, Koller, Lukacevic; Demaku, Kaiba; Gebauer, Gorgon; Mustapha, Diawara
We say: LASK Linz 2-0 Rheindorf Altach
Although LASK will have half an eye on their upcoming European playoff, the Linz club’s home form has been incredibly strong since the split.
So, Altach will be left awaiting the result of Austria Klagenfurt’s final-day fixture, keeping fingers crossed that they can avoid the drop.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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