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Red Bull getting their third win in a row, Graz trying to redeem themselves

Red Bull and Graz are playing the derby of Austrian hockey in Mozart's town, where the 99ers haven't beaten the Bulls for two whole years

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In the first two rounds of EBEL, Red Bull have shown who and what they really are in Austrian hockey. They won both games in a very dominant manner. In the first round, they beat the reigning champions from Bozen by 4-1, and they won their second round match against Znojmo away (3-1). Both wins were important as they beat good opponents.

In the last game against Znojmo, Red Bull were a much better team and they won after being up for the better part of the game. The Bulls took the lead in the first period and maintained the lead until the last 5 minutes of the match. They slipped up and conceded a goal from in powerplay but the following two powerplays allowed them to score two goals and get the final win.

- I believe the 99ers are a strong team that will be very much motivated after the defeat in last game against Linz at home. We have to be prepared to face a team hungry for success, a team playing very offensively, with strong and technically gifted forwards. We have been very good in defense lately but we have to improve our offense - said Red Bull's coach Daniel Ratushny.

In terms of injuries, Red Bull have a full squad except for Andreas Kristler who's recovering and will not be competing for a place in the squad. Red Bull are a better team than Graz, whose last win in Mozart's town came exactly 670 days ago, way back in 2012. So far, they haven't conceded a single goal from 7 boxplays. They are better than Graz in every aspect and are deserved favorites in this game.

On the other hand, Graz have a win and a defeat in the first two EBEL games and they lost their last one. They beat Dorbirn in the opener by 5-1, while they lost their last match at home against Linz by 4-3 in overtime.

In this last game, Graz were up by 3-0 until the 57th minute and then Linz came back to 3-3 and won by two consecutive goals from Kozek. Now Graz will be looking for atonement for this embarrassing defeat.

- We have to forget the end of the last game as soon as possible and learn from our mistakes. Salzburg are a very strong team and they're particularly aggressive at home. But if we stick to our agreement and the words of our coach, we can get at least one point if not both - said the 99ers' forward Manuel Ganahl ahead of this game.

In terms of injuries, the only player missing for Graz is Petruska while the rest of the team is ready and willing.