Red Bull Salzburg under pressure: Europa League start against postage!

Red Bull Salzburg under pressure: Europa League start against postage!

On September 25, 2025, the time has finally come: Red Bull Salzburg starts the Europa League and meets the renowned FC Porto. But the anticipation is accompanied by a drop of bitterness. The current form of Salzburg in the Bundesliga leaves something to be desired. Finally, you had to give up 1: 3 against the Wolfsberger AC and the pressure on coach Thomas Letsch rises, because the defensive is susceptible in the last games how the 2-2 draw against Blau-Weiß Linz illustrates. Salzburg is currently in second place in the Bundesliga with 11 points from 6 games, behind Rapid Vienna.

The difficulties in the squad cannot be overlooked. The list of injuries is long and painful. Karim Konaté fails in the long term with a cruciate ligament tear, while Karim Onisiwo and John Mellberg also have to deal with serious injuries. In addition, ARIE CHASE, TAKUMU KAWAMURA, Valentin Sulzbacher and Justin Omoregie are other players who are currently not operational. These personnel problems force Letsch to make tactical changes and opens up the opportunity to prove themselves, reports Boerse-Express.

Injuries in European football

The challenges that Salzburg faces reflect a bigger problem that affects the entire Bundesliga. According to a comparative study by the insurance broker Howden, the Bundesliga has the highest rate of injury among the five major European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Series A and Ligue 1). The current 2023/24 season already recorded 1,255 injuries, and an injury occurs on average every 52 minutes. This topic has serious financial and physical consequences not only for the clubs, but also for the players, since injuries cost the clubs a total of € 732 million in salaries last year, how espn.com reported.

The trend towards increasing injuries in European football is alarming. The number of injuries in the past four seasons amount to a total of 14,292, which poses a major challenge for the players and clubs. Knee injuries in particular accept alarming proportions; In the current season, they achieved a new high with 367 registered injuries across Europe, such as the study of ZDF.de shows.

A look ahead

The next few weeks will be crucial for Red Bull Salzburg. After the game against postage, away games against Aston Villa and Olympique Lyon are on the program, followed by a home game against Ferencváros Budapest. Trainer Letsch sees Porto and Aston Villa as a serious title candidate in the Europa League and presses on the euphoric grinding until the team can stabilize their performance. The home game against Sturm Graz before the first group game is seen as an important test to prepare the team for the upcoming challenges.

Mads Bidstrup is optimistic about making the leap into the knockout phase of the Europa League despite the adversity. The focus is on using the financial incentives that each game brings with it: 4.31 million euros entry fee and 450,000 euros per victory in the group phase are tempting motifs to continue to port the team and to inspire fans with gripping football.