‘Extremely hungry’ for the match against Hartberg

It has been a while since Austria last played in the Südstadt. On 6 March 2022, the Violets qualified for the championship group at the last minute with a 2-1 victory over Admira in the final round of the regular season. Austria finished third at the end of the season, while Admira was relegated. The Violets' coach at the time was Manfred Schmid, who will be on the sidelines on Saturday against TSV Hartberg.

Many Austria fans are looking forward to the return to the Südstadt, with the guest sector selling out within a short time and many Violets expected in the remaining stands as well: ‘For us as Viennese, it's great because we all have a short journey to the game – we're especially looking forward to the match because we know that many Austrians will be supporting us,’ emphasises Mandi Fischer.

‘Chemistry between fans and team has grown’

Coach Stephan Helm also sees the fans as a positive factor for Saturday: ‘My impression is that the chemistry between the fans and the team has grown again over the course of the season. It's always an advantage when the team feels that the fans are behind them.’

Last weekend, Austria suffered a 0-3 home defeat against Salzburg, but the performance was impressive, which was also recognised by the fans: "It's important that we don't sugarcoat the game; we lost 0-3, but everyone saw that the result didn't reflect the performance. At the same time, we also took a critical look at what we can do better. One thing we realised was that we can always rely on a united team performance – in that respect, we have gained additional confidence," says Helm.

Opponents Hartberg were knocked out of the cup quarter-finals on Tuesday after losing to FC Blau Weiß Linz on penalties after 120 minutes. In the Bundesliga, coach Manfred Schmid's team recently secured a 2-2 draw away to Altach. The Styrians are only three points behind Austria in eighth place in the table. The Violets lost the first match of the season 3-1 at home:

‘Hartberg always plays compactly. We have to find the right solutions with the ball, we want to play with pressure and at the same time be patient. It's important that we do our thing in all phases of the game,’ explains Stephan Helm. Our captain also expects a deep-lying opponent:

‘Hartberg has made it difficult for every opponent in recent weeks and has been beaten below their true value in terms of results. I remember their game against Salzburg well – I think they will take a similar approach against us and lie in wait for counter-attacking opportunities. We need to be well positioned in defence.’

Personnel news

Kang Hee Lee made his comeback against Salzburg and is fully fit again, as is Tin Plavotić, who has already made two brief appearances after his injury break. Sanel Šaljić (syndesmotic ligament) and Joe Handl (viral infection) are still out.