Bundesliga LIVE Updates

LIVE starting at 7:30 p.m.: The season opener—LASK vs. GAK!

LASK kicks off the new Bundesliga season against GAK—which of the two coaches will have more reason to celebrate in the end, Didi Kühbauer or Ferdinand Feldhofer?(Bild: Krone-Collage/Krone Multimedia)

Season opener in Austria’s Bundesliga: Defending champion LASK hosts GAK. We’ll be covering the game live (see below).

Here’s the LIVE TICKER:

Champions LASK kick off the Bundesliga season with a home game against GAK. The Linz-based team is struggling with personnel issues on offense; the torn cruciate ligament suffered by new striker Ramiz Harakate—who transferred from their opening-game opponent in Graz to Upper Austria during the summer break—is a major blow. The Graz team senses an opportunity to come away with some points in Linz to start the season. “The pressure isn’t on us,” emphasized GAK coach Ferdinand Feldhofer.

Dietmar Kühbauer(Bild: GEPA)

LASK is playing its first home game as Austrian champions since 1965. According to coach Dietmar Kühbauer, however, the role of defending champions shouldn’t change anything significantly. “I don’t feel any better physically, nor do I look any better,” said the 55-year-old. “You have to put that out of your mind.”

More important to him is making up for the departure of ÖFB national team striker Sasa Kalajdzic, one of the key players in the surprise double victory. “Kalajdzic was an enormously important player for us; he made the players around him better. But he’s no longer here—we have to accept that,” Kühbauer emphasized. It’s a change, he noted, but soccer is still played with passion, good movement, and energy. “We don’t have to fundamentally change our style of play.”

Few Options in LASK’s Offense
The team is still looking for one or two new strikers following Harakate’s cruciate ligament tear. Against GAK, Christoph Lang is likely to start up front alongside Samuel Adeniran and Krystof Danek. Moses Usor, following his meniscus surgery, appears to be an option only as a “super sub” so far. In the double champions’ 7-0 opening Cup victory over Kalsdorf, the Nigerian played for half an hour, while Lang—who came on as a substitute for the injured Harakate—scored four times.

Christoph Lang (right)(Bild: GEPA)

“Scoring seven goals was very good. It was great that the guys kept up the pressure,” said Kühbauer. The team aims to build on that at home. “In soccer, it never changes—you always want to impose your style of play on the opponent in a home game. Our goal is to play a good game.” Last year, the league opener went awry with a 0–2 loss to Sturm Graz—back then, the team was still without Kühbauer. “Everyone knows what’s going on. Most of the roster is the same,” explained captain Sascha Horvath.

Robert Ljubicic(Bild: GEPA)

Alongside him, new signing Robert Ljubicic is expected to start in central midfield, just as he did in the Cup. “Everyone knows his qualities; he’s a good soccer player and will certainly help us,” Horvath said of the former Rapid player. Kühbauer also has Alessandro Schöpf available again; the ÖFB World Cup participant could make his debut against GAK.

A Special Matchup for Michorl
Aspecial matchawaits GAK newcomer Peter Michorl, who played no fewer than 351 competitive matches for LASK from 2014 to 2024. “We won’t be friends on the field, but we’ll be friends again afterward,” said Horvath. Ten years is a long time, Michorl added. “But I’m not going to Linz to shake hands. We want to come away with a win.”

Peter Michorl(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Feldhofer agrees. “The team is well prepared and eager to get back in action,” assured the former international. “We’re heading to Linz with our heads held high, but we know how strong our opponent is and that we’ll have to give it our all.” Last season, the Graz team had to wait until the 12th round of the league for their first win of the season. It shouldn’t take nearly that long this time. Both matches against LASK during their championship season went to the Linz team.