UEFA Europa League matchday 3 at NK Celje
The lights will be on again as we have another chance to secure some crucial points! Following a good warm up in the league, our Red Bulls are shifting straight back into European mode, traveling to Slovenia for the third matchday of the UEFA Europa League league phase. This Thursday, October 22, at 21:00 CEST, they face NK Celje for the very first time.
After a successful 1-0 opening win away to Levski Sofia and a 0-4 home defeat against AC Milan, our Red Bulls currently sit in 21st place out of 36 teams after two rounds of the league phase. The clear objective for this second European away fixture is to get back on the scoresheet and significantly boost our chances of finishing in the top 24 - a position required to advance further in the competition.
Our upcoming opponent were crowned Slovenian champions last season, which saw them begin their current European campaign in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. After overcoming KF Egnatia and FC Ararat-Armenia, their run came to an end in the play-offs, where they were defeated by Slovan Bratislava in extra time. You can find all the details regarding their history, past European highlights, and the unique features of the Slovenian side in our NK Celje opposition profile.
In the league phase, the hosts, managed by Zoran Zeljkovic since mid-September, are still searching for their first point. Following a 0-2 opening loss away to Bayer Leverkusen and a 0-3 home defeat to Omonia Nicosia, they find themselves under pressure to deliver a result in front of their own fans. In their domestic league, NK Celje currently sit in sixth place after twelve matches (with one game in hand) – though in their most recent fixture last weekend, the Slovenian side managed a respectable 0–0 draw away to league leaders NK Maribor.
You can follow the action from home for free via ServusTV or ServusTV On in Austria.
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Injury news
- Enrique Aguilar (thigh), Justin Omoregie (ankle) and Nikolas Veratschnig (knee) are unavailable for this match.
- Karim Konate (ill) is a doubt.
Views
We face an intense challenge in Celje against opponents that will play with great courage in front of their home crowd. It’s crucial that we stay focused from the very start, stick to our style of play, and show the right response following the Milan match. We want to secure our second away win in Slovenia.
Danny Röhl
European away matches always have something special about them. We know that we’ll need a cohesive and mature performance in Celje. If we bring our intensity to the pitch and remain clinical in the decisive moments, we can be successful there.
Kevin Boma
