In the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, the Violets will face Baník Ostrava away on Thursday evening (6:30 p.m.). ORF1 will broadcast the match live. The Czechs finished the 2024/25 season in third place in the table and were narrowly defeated by Legia Warsaw (total score 3:4) in Q2 of the Europa League. Head coach Stephan Helm expects a duel between equals: ‘We want to bring our positive energy to the pitch in Ostrava!’

Coach Stephan Helm on... 

...opponents Baník Ostrava:
"We saw a lot of their game in the matches against Legia Warsaw. They have a very strong team with two or three very good individual players, whom we now know very well. Overall, it will probably be an evenly matched duel. If we put in a top performance on the pitch, anything is possible for us. We want to field the team that best suits the game and from which we can get the most out of. We now have many options for substitutions, which is a privilege."

...the unusual series of away games (four in a row):
‘Personally, I didn't really notice the series of away games. For us, one game follows another. We know that we still have room for improvement in all areas. At the same time, we are in the fortunate position of playing more than training. That's good for the players, it's a cool challenge. We have positive energy in the team, which we want to bring back onto the pitch tomorrow!’