Football Season Guide

Salzburg have been the rulers supreme of Austrian football for the best part of the last ten years, having won seven out of the last ten domestic championship. Moreover, the previous season ended with the Red Bulls winning their third consecutive domestic double, a feat unmatched in the history of European football, but their board is unhappy despite that due to the side's consistent inability to qualify for the Champions League. Salzburg have had a couple of memorable Europa League runs over the recent years, but have failed to make the group stage of the continent's most elite competition, and the goal set ahead of Oscar Garcia going into the new season will be to finally break Salzburg's duck and get them into the group stage of the Champions League. When it comes to the transfer activity, Salzburg have, as always, bought well, with Munas Dabbur and Wanderson in particular looking like very promising signings, while Austrian national team central defender Martin Hinteregger will be like a new signing after returning from his loan stay at Borussia Monchengladbach, who opted against turning his stay into a permanent one. However, Salzburg have lost their last season's Player of the Year Naby Keita, who has been allowed to join sister club Leipzig, as well as another important player in Benno Schmitz. Despite these departures, their squad looks to be at least at the same level as last year, meaning that anything short of another domestic title would be seen as a major failure for Garcia and his men.