LASK's veteran Ljubicic ahead of AEK debut – discovered by Kühbauer
The 27‑year‑old ever‑present Robert Ljubicic, discovered by coach Didi Kühbauer, is about to make his Champions League debut for LASK against AEK Athens and will tell his mentor on site a lot about the Greek opponent.
Kühbauer's Path to LASK
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In 2018, coach Didi Kühbauer, as a Teenager, promoted the 18‑year‑old Robert Ljubicic from the SKN‑Juniors to the professional squad of St. Pölten. The LASK‑turnaround specialist is known for guiding teams at breakneck speed back onto the path of success.
At the start of his tenure at SKN, he faced a negative run. The then Bundesliga bottom‑club‑club had, in the early April 2018, lost four matches and drawn one. After five matches with four defeats and a draw, he moved to St. Pölten.
Ljubicic's Journey to Athens
In St. Pölten he led the team to victory in the last three rounds, with Ljubicic contributing a scoring point in each game and securing survival in the relegation playoff against Wiener Neustadt at the end. Since then there has been a close bond between Didi Kühbauer and the ever‑present Ljubicic.
In early 2024 Ljubicic was bought for four million euros by Dinamo Zagreb, made 68 appearances for the Greek champions and has been on loan at AEK Athens since July as part of the Champions League group stage.
“It will be incredibly passionate, a very special atmosphere awaits us,” says Ljubicic about the AEK stadium, which captivates 32 000 fans. The number 10 from Linz is described there as “a bit crazy.”
The coach, described as a very direct type, is not Kühbauer but the Serb Marko Nikolic, who previously won titles with Videoton and Partizan. Around 20 million euros were spent for the 4‑4‑2 system; other familiar faces include Varga, Lykogiannis and former WAC goalkeeper Christian Dobnik as goalkeeping coach.
Goal‑scorer Jovic, once valued at 63 million euros, most recently recorded a 5‑0 win over Aris Saloniki. Nevertheless, AEK is on a different level of performance than the first home opponent Liverpool on October 14. Ljubicic emphasizes: “We don’t have to hide.”