On Sunday afternoon (5:00 pm), the Veilchen will welcome Red Bull Salzburg to the Generali-Arena. Almost 12,000 tickets have already been sold. Head coach Stephan Helm wants to look ahead after the derby defeat and reckons he has a good chance against Salzburg: ‘I can feel the energy in the team. We will play aggressively and with a lot of conviction!’

Coach Stephan Helm on ...

... the last derby:
‘Of course we were disappointed. I think we could have done better if we had pushed ourselves to the limit. We fell behind 0:1 with their first action. We then tried to get our momentum going. We didn't manage that. Rapid closed down the spaces and played on the counterattack in their own stadium. If you play boldly yourself, you also lose the ball. Little things are always decisive in games like this. We couldn't get them on our side in this game.’ 

... the weakening offence:
‘We're not happy with our goal haul. You can only make one mistake now: to stop trying. I've seen a defiant reaction from the team in training. Our strikers regularly get detailed feedback from the coaching team. It's completely normal to have phases where you don't score. But you can't start to doubt yourself, you have to keep working with conviction. When I see how they work every day, it gives me confidence.’ 

... opponent Red Bull Salzburg:
‘The championship group is not a comfort zone. We've earned a lot of respect against the top teams in the league, made the game in the derby and pushed Salzburg into the back in the last game. We will have to play aggressively and with a lot of conviction. We have to work hard for every metre. I can feel the energy within the team. The next few games will be against top opponents. We will take on these challenges with full vigour without worrying too much.’

Reinhold Ranftl on ...

... individual mistakes in the derby:
‘Football is a sport of mistakes. There are ten other players who can make up for a mistake.’

... opponent Red Bull Salzburg: 
‘Of course I still remember the 0-1 defeat from the last game. Salzburg could have been shown a red card. It was a very even game. But I think Sunday's game will be completely different. It will be about scrapping and fighting to win the second balls. We know that our fans are always behind us. It will be a close game. I hope they'll whip us forward.’

Squad news

Philipp Wiesinger is suspended. Andi Gruber is back in team training. Long-term injuries to Ziad El Sheiwi and Flo Wustinger are not an issue.