Salzburg travels to Norway with "great anticipation"

Coach Thomas Letsch and his team aim to overcome the first hurdle on their way to the Champions League in Bergen. FC Red Bull Salzburg

FC Red Bull Salzburg are aiming to return to the Champions League. The road to that goal is rockier this season than in previous years. The Bulls have to survive three rounds of play on their way to the league stage. The first hurdle in round two is Brann Bergen , where they will be looking to establish a strong starting position for the return match on Wednesday (7 p.m., LIVE! on kicker).

For coach Thomas Letsch and his team, the trip to Norway marks not only the start of the European Cup, but also the start of the 2025/26 season. A season with big plans. "We're really looking forward to it, because this game against Brann is the start of an exciting season. We want to get the most out of three competitions," said the German.

Although Salzburg enters both matches as slight favorites, they certainly don't expect a walk in the park. Due to the year-round championship in Norway, the Austrian runners-up will be facing a well-rehearsed team. Brann is in third place halfway through the championship. However, Salzburg also had a shortened summer break due to the Club World Cup . "It's certainly an advantage for us that we already have three competitive matches under our belt, where we had good opportunities to find our feet as a new team," says Letsch.

Salzburg's squad underwent significant overhauls in the still-open summer transfer window. Key players like Samson Baidoo , Amar Dedic , and Nicolas Capaldo have left the club. However, sporting director Rouven Schröder's team also welcomed numerous new signings: Stefan Lainer , Jacob Rasmussen , Sota Kitano , Kerim Alajbegovic , and Frans Krätzig . The latter acknowledges the difficulty of the upcoming challenge in Norway: "It's certainly not a disadvantage that we have the return match in Salzburg. And we'll do everything we can to be in a good position. But we know we're facing a strong and well-rehearsed team."

Since Monday, it has also been clear who Salzburg will face in the third round of Champions League qualifying. If they advance against Brann Bergen, the Mozart City team would face top Belgian club Club Bruges . If they are eliminated from the Champions League, Salzburg would be relegated to the Europa League qualifiers, where they will face the winner of the Anderlecht vs. Häcken match in the third round.