Austria’s LASK Linz host Switzerland’s FC Basel in the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie on Tuesday night.
LASK were victorious in the first leg 2-1 thanks to goals from Gernot Trauner and Joao Klauss De Mello. FC Basel did get a late consolation strike through Luca Zuffi, however, they are on the verge of eliminate ahead of the second leg.
FC Basel did show their resilience in the second qualifying round. Down 3-2 to PSV Eindhoven after the first leg, FC Basel won 2-1 at home in the second leg to progress 4-4 on aggregate.
The bad news for FC Basel is they play the second leg in Austria on Tuesday night. That could work to their advantage, however. FC Basel merely need two away goals to progress. The task of scoring twice and keeping LASK out of goal won’t be easy.
LASK warmed up for their fixture against FC Basel with a comprehensive win against Flyeralarm Admira, 1-0, in Austrian league play. Valentino Muller’s first half goal was enough to see them to victory.
FC Basel defeated Swiss Super League rivals Servette over the weekend, 3-1. The Swiss side has collected nine points from 12 possible and sit second in the division.
Manager Marcel Koller’s team is a free-scoring group. They have notched 11 goals in the Swiss Super League and five in two Champions League fixtures. However, FC Basel have shown a lack of defensive capabilities.
FC Basel have conceded six league goals and six more strikes in the Champions League. If they are to get past LASK, they must be far more solid defensively.
LASK were eliminated from the Champions League at this stage last term. It was away goals that knocked them out of the tournament 12 months ago. It could be away goals to do it once more, but FC Basel will need to score and prevent the Austrians from doing the same.
The Austrians, who have found European competitions few and far between for the last few years, were dominant in Switzerland. With their home supporters behind them, they should once again find the back of the net.
Unlike their first leg in Switzerland, Tuesday night’s fixture should be closer. Expect under 2.5 goals in a tight affair that could go either way. LASK will advance thanks to the aggregate scoreline as the two rivals finish in a stalemate in the second leg.