Champions rest ahead of second quarter.

Bulls’ record in first quarter of 2007/2008: 15 points from 9 matches, with four wins, three draws and two defeats.
Five Bulls’ internationals to carry on playing: Leitgeb, Aufhauser, Kovac, Vonlanthen and Sekagya.

As the curtain draws on the first quarter of the domestic season, the champions have not quite had the start that they were hoping for. Red Bull Salzburg are placed fourth in the 2007/2008 T-Mobile Bundesliga table, and have certainly failed to live up to expectations.

On the bright side, Salzburg can boast the best home record in Austria, having picked up twelve of their 15 points to date at the Bulls Arena.

In five away matches just three points and three goals came the Bulls’ way however, putting the champions firmly at the lower end of the ‘away table’, in seventh spot.

A cause for optimism can be found in the fact that all three teams lying higher in the table are to visit the fortress that is the Bulls Arena during the league’s second quarter. Sights are therefore set on the top of the table despite the burden of forthcoming UEFA Cup matches.

Thorsten Fink: “I’m convinced that we can reach the top of the table in the second quarter. The top teams all have to come to Salzburg so the chance to close the gap is in our own hands. We’ll start to win away from home again as well – of that I’m certain.”

Giovanni Trapattoni departed for Athens today to take notes on the future UEFA Cup opponents during the second leg of the Champions League qualification tie between AEK Athens and Sevilla. The losers are to play the Bulls in the UEFA Cup.

Five Bulls’ players are engaged in internationals over the next ten days:

René Aufhauser and Christoph Leitgeb are to face Japan (7 Sep) und Chile (11 Sep) with the Austrian national side.

Niko Kovac is to contest two EURO 2008 qualifiers for Croatia against Estonia (8 Aug) and Andorra (12 Sep).

Johan Vonlanthen is to represent Switzerland in Austria against Chile (7 Sep) and Japan (11 Sep).

And Ibrahim Sekagya is to fly to Ghana for an African Nations Cup Qualifier between Ghana and Uganda on 8 September.