Will the Bulls Score a Rout in Röhl’s Debut?
The wait is over! The Austrian Bundesliga is back in action, and we’re bringing you a tip for the home opener of the team from Mozart’s city, Red Bull Salzburg, against Hartberg! The hosts finished last season in third place and are now looking to end an unusual three-season title drought.
To that end, club officials have also brought in a new coach: Danny Röhl from Zwickau. His competitive debut last weekend was a resounding success: Red Bull defeated SV Oberwart 7–1, though it’s worth noting that Oberwart competes only in the Regionalliga Ost.
On the other hand, the lopsided victory fits the picture of the home team’s solid early-season form, as they also won their final preseason match against the German second-division side from Cottbus by a clear 5–0 margin. We therefore see sufficient value in betting on more than two goals scored by the 17-time Austrian champions in the match between Red Bull Salzburg and Hartberg.
Supporting this prediction is the fact that, following the departure of striker Kerim Alajbegović to Bayer Leverkusen, even more will now depend on the youngster—who has already impressed by scoring the opening goal in preseason and in the recent cup victory over Oberwart.
Red Bull Salzburg – Hartberg Head-to-Head Record
The last matchup between Salzburg and Hartberg took place on the final matchday of the previous season in May of this year, with TSV winning 3-1 on the road. A rare result for this matchup: Looking back over the past eight years, the Styrians have not recorded a single other victory in the Salzburg region (0-1-9)! For the upcoming match between Red Bull Salzburg and Hartberg, the odds are once again clearly pointing toward another win for the hosts.
Red Bull Salzburg – Hartberg Prediction
Coach Markus Schopp’s visiting team qualified for the championship round last season, but ultimately finished in last place. As a result, Hartberg, in sixth place, missed out on international competition and can now focus entirely on domestic matches.
To kick off the new season in Austria’s top flight, however, they face a particularly tough challenge against Red Bull right off the bat. Although TSV has bolstered its roster in various areas—including signing Oliver Lukic on loan from the opponent—it still can’t match the quality of the hosts.
In the league opener for new coach Danny Röhl, we also expect to see extra motivation from the home team as he makes his debut on the bench; they’ve already shown promising offensive play during preseason and in the ÖFB Cup. Taking all these factors into account, we’re predicting that the “Red Bulls” will score more than two goals in the match between Red Bull Salzburg and Hartberg.
