Excitement builds ahead of Salzburg’s big match. Red Bulls plot miracle comeback.

Preview 2, Red Bull Salzburg v FC Sevilla, UEFA Cup, First Round – Second leg. 2 October 2008 – 8:30 pm, Red Bull Arena.

Red Bull Salzburg are to play FC Sevilla this Thursday with the third-placed side in the Austrian league looking to overturn a 0-2 aggregate deficit against the fourth-placed club in the Spanish Primera Division.

Even though the Bulls’ chances would have been considerably better without the last-minute second Sevilla goal a fortnight ago, hopes are high for this Thursday.

The following reasons are cause for Bulls fans to expect a Red Bull Arena miracle:

• Salzburg’s great home form
• Co Adriaanse’s international experience
• The team’s self-belief
• The Bulls attacking mentality
• Their fitness
• The internationally experienced squad
• A 30,000 sell-out at the Red Bull Arena
• Bulls fans superb support

Double UEFA Cup Winners FC Sevilla are of course strong favourites to ensure progression into the group stages.

The Bulls’ second-half performance in Sevilla demonstrated though that they are able to compete with the best in European football.

Red Bulls’ home strength:

The Red Bulls have conceded just three goals in front of their own fans in European football since 2006 – two against Blackburn and one against Suduva.

Despite the first-leg defeat, Salzburg can draw hope from the history books which show that Austrian teams have been able to overturn identical deficits in European competition.

Casino Salzburg managed to do just that in the 93/94 season in beating Sporting Lisbon 3-0 after extra time on 7 December in the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup.

Rapid Vienna, Red Bull Salzburg’s next opponents in the Bundesliga, achieved the same feat in the following season against the same opponents, winning 4-0 after extra time.

Austrian teams’ successful European comebacks after 0-2 first-leg defeats:

1978/79 Austria Vienna - Vllaznia 4:1 
1988/89 Austria Vienna - Zalgiris 5:2 
1993/94 Casino Salzburg - Sporting Lisbon 3:0
1994/95 SK Rapid Vienna - Sporting Lisbon 4:0
2004/05 Rubin Kazan - SK Rapid Vienna 0:3

Out of 40 occasions when Spanish teams have won the first leg of a European tie 2-0 at home, they have been knocked out in the second leg seven times. The most recent team to be on the receiving end of such a comeback were Valenica, who lost on penalties to Steaua Bucharest in 2004/2005.