UEFA Youth League

Young bulls can crown their strong fall

The young bulls had a lot to cheer about in the Youth League in the fall.(Bild: Fabian Weirather – FC Red Bull Salzburg)

Salzburg's U19s are already safely through to the round of 16 in the Youth League. However, the aim is to finish in the top six, for which a point against Paris on Tuesday (15:30) is enough. The young bulls have now gotten used to the mode.

One more game and then the Youth League phase will be over. Finally, a really big name is coming to the Liefering Academy. Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning French senior champions, will be visiting Salzburg's U19s. However, the young bulls have nothing to hide in the youth ranks: With 13 points from five games, they have already qualified for the round of 16. However, the French side (18th) - like Sturm Graz - are still in doubt. "There have been good performances across the board, we've also made sure that we're using different players. It's been a good season so far," says academy manager Manfred Pamminger, drawing a positive conclusion. Who the Salzburg team will face in the knockout round depends on their final position after six match days. The "Krone" provides a brief overview of the format:

• As is well known, at the end of the six rounds, the 22 best-placed teams qualify for the knockout phase, in which progression is only played out in one match.
• Places one to six will be drawn against places 17 to 22 in the round of 16, while places seven to 16 will face the winners of the championship round. Salzburg will only need a draw against PSG to make it into the top six.
• The winners of the round of 16 will advance to the round of 16, which will be redrawn. The quarter-finals will then follow.

If Salzburg continue to win in the spring as they did in the fall, they could reach the semi-finals, which will be held together with the final at the end of April in Nyon (Sz). "We go in every year with the goal of reaching the Final Four. We've seen that it's realistic, but a lot of things have to come together," emphasizes Pamminger.

The 46-year-old is a member of the UEFA working group for the Youth League and was involved in the development of the new format himself and admits to being a fan of the reform: "I think it's cooler this way, even though I'm basically a traditionalist. You notice that there are now more games with something at stake right to the end."