'It's time to win games like this'

The match will be broadcast live on Sky, on our website there is as usual a live ticker with live stats & all events of the match in text form in real time (via mobile website in the browser also on your smartphone). The video highlights as well as the full 90 minutes will be published on our website Monday morning.

Manfred Schmid watched Sturm Graz in their UEFA Europa League appearance on Thursday (0-2 against PSV Eindhoven), but said conclusions about Sunday's match were limited due to the strong opponent. Rather, the 2:2 in the first season duel could be used as a comparison, at the end of August Austria deliberately played with a similar system as Sturm:

Tactically very flexible

"We have shown this season that we are tactically very flexible, defensively we have delivered strong performances with a three-man and four-man backline," explained the Austria coach. In the standings, Austria is in seventh place seven rounds before the end of the basic round, only two points off sixth place, while Sturm, in second place, has seven points more on its account:

"If you look at our games throughout, you can see: the basics were always there. The problem is the final third, that's a process, we need patience. The performances were basically good and the fans honor that. The club is growing together. We are on a good path and want to continue on it," says Schmid.

Ghost game new territory for many

For many young players, who only made their Bundesliga debut this season, the first ghost game is coming up. The empty stands change the game not only on an emotional level: "I do believe that it is a disadvantage that we play our home game without fans. We have seen in the last few games that the support from the stands is good for the lads. Especially now it is even more important that the players push and support each other on the pitch," explains Manfred Schmid.

Personnel news

Matthias Braunöder will be missing on Sunday after his fifth yellow card suspension. Marco Djuricin, who was absent at short notice due to injury in Klagenfurt, was already in training - whether the striker is fit for the starting eleven will be decided in the next few days. Right-back Marvin Martins, who has been out for some time due to his injury, is now training with the team again: "He had a long-term injury. We will decide together with the medical team whether we can use him before the winter break," explains coach Manfred Schmid.