Starting position
As always, it's always exciting when the Red Bulls and the KAC meet and add another chapter to the duel between the perennial rivals. In the current basic round, it has so far been the KAC who have been able to write the first three chapters, i.e. games, with a happy ending. A win after a penalty shootout and a victory in overtime were followed shortly before Christmas by a more emphatic 5:2 in Klagenfurt, with the decisive three goals (including an empty net) only coming in the last five minutes of this long, evenly-matched game.
The Red Bulls' last win against the KAC dates back to April 19, 2024, when the Salzburgers also clinched the championship title. The Red Bulls, who will once again have to make up for a whole host of injured and sick players tomorrow, celebrated their last home win in the final series on April 12 with a 6:5 victory in overtime.
Duel of the goal factories
The top match of the round is also the duel between the two most offensive teams in the league. The KAC is No. 1 with 146 goals scored, followed by VSV with 138 goals and Salzburg with 131 goals. If you take the average number of goals scored per game - the Red Bulls still have two and three games less than the first two teams - Salzburg is right behind Klagenfurt with 3.54 goals per game and 3.74 goals per game. VSV has 3.45 goals per game.
The KAC also leads the league in scoring efficiency. 12.82% of shots land in the goal. The Red Bulls follow in 2nd place with 11.46%. The same in the powerplay; Klagenfurt currently holds the league-best with 25.7%, the Red Bulls follow closely behind with 25.2%.