4000 Salzburg fans in Milan – a record in the era of Red Bull

“Around 4,000 fans will travel with us, we are proud to have such support. We will try everything not to disappoint them,” Salzburg coach Matthias Giseli confirmed. Five planes, 20 buses and a huge number of private cars will fly. “We are thrilled that so many fans are coming to Milan,” said Stefan Reiter, Salzburg’s general manager, who also spoke of an “exciting institutional challenge”.

The team leaves for Milan on Tuesday afternoon (1 pm). Midfielder Nicolas Capaldo (a knee problem) and striker Fernando (a hamstring injury) are still out. The return of defender Omar Sollet is still in doubt. The 22-year-old Frenchman, like striker Junior Adamu, who scored the last goals against Chelsea (1-2), did not train with the team on Monday due to groin problems. Tuesday’s final training session at the San Siro should provide information for both.

Jaissle had no experience with the Italian football temple. “I’ve only seen him from the outside so far – he’s very impressive, very impressive. And all the better that I have free admission on Wednesday,” the 34-year-old German joked. Before the first match, many did not think that his team could have played a final in Milan in the “hammer group” with Chelsea, AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb. “This alone is a huge achievement.”

If you win a point, you will definitely be in the middle round of the European League. “Our goal was to stay on the international scene in the spring,” explained young midfielder Moritz Kigergaard. “The opportunity is still there and with the win away from us we can even reach the Champions League. We want to do that and we will do everything we can to make it happen. But we also know that it will be very difficult to beat the Italian champions at home.”

The match will be directed by the great Spanish referee Antonio Mateo Lahoz. The 45-year-old sports teacher from the Valencia region has never judged a match for an Austrian team. Last year he was in charge of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City (1-0). At the tournament in Qatar, which kicks off in less than three weeks, Mathieu Lahoz is already completing his third World Cup final as a referee after 2014 and 2018.