Three Austrian clubs are playing in the league phases of the Champions League and Europa League this autumn. LASK represents Austria as champions in the premier class, while Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg compete in the Europa League. Opponents range from Real Madrid to Levski Sofia. Following the exits of Rapid and Austria, no domestic club remains in the Conference League.
The first matchday has been played and has already indicated the roles. A look at the standings, favorites, previous successes, odds, and key players reveals which of the three has the best chances of progressing.
Where do Austria's clubs stand in Europe?
LASK has reached the Champions League league phase, while Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg are playing in the Europa League. For the Linz-based club, as champions, it is their first participation in the league phase of the premier class. Sturm failed in the Champions League qualification against Fenerbahçe and subsequently dropped into the Europa League.
In their opening match, LASK lost at AEK Athens without scoring. Sturm played a goalless draw at home against Rennes, while Salzburg narrowly defeated Levski Sofia.
An Austrian club is missing from the Conference League. Rapid failed in the play-off in a penalty shootout against Heart of Midlothian, and Austria against Braga.
Who are the favorites in the three competitions?
In the Champions League, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona are considered title contenders. Real Madrid and Liverpool are on LASK's schedule.
The favorites in the Europa League are Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Crystal Palace, and Marseille. Salzburg will face Leverkusen, Milan, and Crystal Palace, while Sturm will play Marseille.
The favorites in the Conference League are clubs from major leagues that missed out on the higher competitions.
What were the greatest European Cup successes of Austrian teams?
Austria Salzburg reached the UEFA Cup final in 1994 and lost there to Inter Milan.
Rapid reached the final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 and 1996, and Austria Wien in 1978. To this day, no Austrian club has won a title. Later, Red Bull Salzburg also reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.
The most recent highlight belongs to LASK. After a clear first-leg defeat at Celtic, Florian Flecker equalized with a header in stoppage time in Linz. Samuel Adeniran scored the winning goal in extra time to secure promotion. Coach Dietmar Kühbauer then tipped his hat to his team, who had made the impossible possible.
How do the bookmakers see the chances?
Anyone placing sports bets on the matches of the Austrian clubs will find a clear distribution of roles. In the league phase, LASK will face Real Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, and Fenerbahçe, as well as Bodø/Glimt, Slovan Bratislava, and AEK Athens. Against Real Madrid and Liverpool, bookmakers list the Linz club as clear underdogs. However, they see Slovan Bratislava, Bodø/Glimt, and AEK Athens more on par with LASK.
For LASK, points are most likely to come at home against Slovan Bratislava and away in Bodø. Against Real Madrid and Liverpool, even a single point would be a surprise.
Salzburg's opponents include Sparta Prague, Anderlecht, Celje, Ararat-Armenia, and Levski Sofia, in addition to Leverkusen, Milan, and Crystal Palace. Against Leverkusen and Milan, the Salzburg club is considered an underdog.
An odd is initially a price. Bookmakers form it from their own assessment of a match and the money that bettors wager. If a lot of money flows to one side, the price shifts. How the other side plays does not change this. An odd thus measures market expectation, not daily form.
Of the three, Salzburg brings the best form. Under new coach Danny Röhl, the Salzburg club is unbeaten in 14 competitive matches, most recently winning decisively against Sturm. Against Leverkusen and Milan, this streak will face significantly stronger opponents than before.
Sturm will face Marseille, Rennes, Bournemouth, and Hoffenheim, where former Graz players Christian Ilzer and Andreas Schicker work. Additionally, they will encounter Celje, OFI Crete, Dinamo Zagreb, and AZ Alkmaar. In their opener against Rennes, Sturm held a draw despite the French side having more chances.
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Who are the best players in Austria's teams?
In Salzburg, the most important name is Haris Tabakovic. The striker scored the winning goal against Levski Sofia just before halftime and has been scoring for the club in almost every competitive match since his transfer.
With Konate, who already scored in qualification, Röhl has a second attacking option. Christian Zawieschitzky, recently called up to the ÖFB national team for the first time, is in goal. The axis of goalkeeper and goalscorer currently makes Salzburg the most stable domestic team.
At LASK, the goal threat is widely distributed. Against Celtic, Moses Usor, Robert Ljubičić, Florian Flecker, and Samuel Adeniran scored, with the latter being the only one to net twice. This makes the Linz club harder to predict than their newcomer status might suggest.
At Sturm, much depends on the goalkeeper and playmaker. Against Rennes, Daniil Khudyakov secured the point. Otar Kiteishvili was not in the starting eleven after his injury. Coach Fabio Ingolitsch must weigh up when to rest him and when he needs him in a season with the league, cup, and Europa League.
What's the bottom line for Austria's clubs?
For LASK, qualification has already paid off even before the first point. According to ORF, the starting fee for the league phase is 18.62 million Euros, plus bonuses for every point. After a season without European football, this provides a new planning basis for the Linz club.
Salzburg's streak under Röhl speaks for the present, but the previous season warns against winter. Back then, Sturm and Salzburg won only a few games in their league phases, and Rapid remained without a win in the Conference League.
Behind this is the UEFA five-year ranking. It derives a country's starting places from the European competition results of all its clubs. The more points a country collects, the more fixed places it receives in the league phases. Austria has fallen behind in this ranking, and this season is considered the last transitional year.
From 2027/28, the champions will start in the second qualifying round for the Champions League, and the cup winner in the second qualifying round for the Europa League. The remaining clubs will start in the Conference League qualification. In the worst-case scenario, no domestic club will then reach a league phase. Every point that LASK, Sturm, and Salzburg earn this autumn will contribute to the five-year ranking.
Salzburg has the best chances of progressing, based on form, opening match, and goalscorer. However, comparing across two competitions is flawed. The win against Levski Sofia and the Linz club's defeat at AEK came against opponents of different calibers.
Sturm needs to pick up points against Celje, OFI Crete, and Dinamo Zagreb. For LASK in the premier class, individual points and evenings like the home match against Liverpool in Linz remain.
This European campaign will be decided in the matches against Slovan Bratislava, Celje, and Sparta Prague. If the domestic clubs win them, the autumn's goal will be achieved, even without a surprise against the big teams.
