Ried v FC Red Bull Salzburg

Having regained their usual spot at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga and subsequently held AC Milan to an impressive draw in their UEFA Champions League opener, Red Bull Salzburg’s latest crop of talented youngsters – including the likes of Maurits Kjӕrgaard and Noah Okafor – seem to be hitting their stride. That is a daunting prospect for their next opponents Ried, who are on a run of only one league win in 14 matches and are currently hovering one point above the drop zone.

To make matters worse, the Vikings will be without one of their key defenders: centre-back David Ungar, who has played every game this season, is suspended for one match following his dismissal in the Upper Austrian derby against LASK. The Red Bulls will also be light in the defensive department, with Maximilian Wöber suffering from a groin strain and fellow centre-back Oumar Solet hobbling off with a hamstring injury in midweek.

That, though, is unlikely to be a significant obstacle for a Salzburg side that has won their last five league games by a combined scoreline of 14-1 and is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak against Ried (W7 D2). What’s more, they have scored 27 goals across that run – an average of three per match. For us, that makes them overwhelming favourites to win big at the weekend and cement their hold on pole position in the Austrian Bundesliga before rivals LASK play on Sunday.

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WSG Tirol v Altach

These two teams met on the final day of last season with Altach bottom of the table and needing a win to stave off the drop. And although the spectre of relegation does not loom anywhere near as large so early in the season, their positions in the league table ahead of the latest clash are exactly the same: WSG Tirol sit mid-table in seventh place, while Altach are propping up the table with only four points from the opening seven rounds.

But despite their poor start to the campaign under new boss Miroslav Klose, who will likely be without injured attacking midfielder Johannes Tartarotti (ankle) and forward Guy Dahan (nose), Altach can at least look back on a positive recent record against their western neighbours. The Vorarlbergers won both Qualification Round clashes last term – including the final-day match-up that preserved their top-flight status – and have triumphed on three of their last five visits to the Tivoli Stadion in Innsbruck.

With their recent form and head-to-head record very much pointing in different directions, calling an outright winner in this one is particularly tricky. We would instead recommend putting your money on both teams to score: neither WSG Tirol nor Altach have kept a single clean sheet in any of their league matches this season and – with 13 and 17 goals conceded respectively – have two of the worst defensive records in the division.

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Rapid Vienna v Wolfsberg

Failure to reach the European group stages and boardroom unrest aside, this has not been a terrible start to the season for Rapid Vienna. Their lengthy injury list has shortened, their defence has been solid and they currently sit in fifth position with a game in hand on their rivals. If they could become more clinical in front of goal – their tally of six goals scored is the second-worst in the division this term – a top-three finish and a good run in the cup are not beyond the realms of imagination.

It’s been a lot worse over at Wolfsberg, who were also knocked out of continental competition in embarrassing fashion in the final qualifying round. The Wolves currently sit second-bottom of the table with only one win and five points from their opening seven games; they looked to have turned their season around when they registered their first win (against WSG Tirol) at the end of August, but followed that up by losing the Carinthian derby to Austria Klagenfurt 4-3 last time out – despite having twice been in front.

In addition to the superior form, Rapid Vienna also have the better head-to-head record against Wolfsberg – especially when the teams meet in the capital. The Green & Whites won both home games last season and have found the net in their last 13 league meetings with the Wolves (home and away). In our eyes, they are favourites to get the win on Saturday – which would be their third in a row across all competitions – and deepen Wolfsberg’s early-season despair.

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Austria Lustenau v LASK

Both Austria Lustenau and LASK have started the season brightly but experienced setbacks last weekend: the Vorarlbergers came close to a first-ever Bundesliga victory in the capital city, only to concede an equaliser to Austria Vienna, while LASK lost top spot in the Austrian Bundesliga – a position they have occupied for the last month – following a spicy Upper Austrian derby draw with Ried.

The two teams each had a player sent off in the aforementioned fixtures: Stefano Surdanovic was dismissed for Lustenau with three minutes remaining in the capital and will miss this game, while Bundesliga top scorer Marin Ljubicic (six goals) must now serve a two-match ban for violent conduct. Neither squad has any fresh injury concerns, but the Linzers are still missing three first-choice central defenders to long-term problems: Filip Twardzik, Philipp Wiesinger and Yannis Letard.

A trip to promoted Lustenau, who have made a solid start to the season, without their top scorer and a raft of central defenders will be a real test of LASK’s mettle and title credentials. We still make them favourites but with Lustenau usually a tough nut to crack on home soil, our money would be on both sides to find the net: Lustenau have notched six goals in their first three home games, while LASK have scored and conceded in six of their seven fixtures this term.

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