On Saturday afternoon (5 p.m.), Austria will welcome fifth-placed Red Bull Salzburg to the Generali-Arena. By Friday afternoon, 12,800 tickets had been sold. The Violets want to continue their impressive run of 12 unbeaten games in a row, but are warned against the Salzburgers: their last triumph over the Red Bulls dates back to 27 May 2018. Coach Stephan Helm: ‘We want to raise our game to the next level!’

Head coach Stephan Helm on ...

... opponents Red Bull Salzburg: ‘We'll face a lot of individuality with Salzburg. We've been warned about their power and agility. Their squad value exceeds that of all other teams many times over. These are not fantasy figures. I think spectators can expect an attractive game. In Thomas Letsch, they've got a coach with a clear signature. As always, we take ourselves as a yardstick, want to raise our game to the next level and annoy Salzburg.’

... high defending teams: ‘We've always played against high defending teams now with Sturm and Rapid twice, it will be similar with Salzburg. I think we're generally becoming more and more unpredictable in our play. In that respect, we've used the preparation well. We'll also go into tomorrow's game with a clear plan. We're still a long way from our peak.’

... the flaws of the derby win: ‘Against Rapid, we were too imprecise in our processes in certain phases. We tried to work through that. Our concentration level dropped. If we don't play focussed for 90 minutes, we'll be shown our limits, as we saw in the derby.’

... the cohesion of the team: ‘At the start of the season, we first had to find ourselves. That's normal. Everyone has to invest, everyone has to find their belief, that's the only way a project can work. We've managed to find a common basis that everyone feels comfortable with. It is easier to develop further on this basis. Every player is part of a functioning collective.’

... the danger of ‘hype’: ‘As long as I can feel the players' hunger, I'm not worried. The euphoria that is now building all around us is normal. It gives us a boost. But the team is aware of what has brought them to this point: Hard work. Now we want and need to invest even more to stay on this successful path.’

Tin Plavotic on ...

... the team's unity: ‘We'll go in like we did last time. We know that we can beat any opponent in this league. At the moment, we're characterised by our team spirit. Even when we fall behind - like against Rapid - we remain stable and continue to do our thing. We know that we will score our goals.’

... the lessons learnt from the derby: ‘In the derby, we stood too deep for a long time after taking a 2-1 lead, which meant we no longer had a grip on the game. We have to stick to our game plan for 90 minutes against Salzburg, then we won't have any problems.’

... his initial role as a substitute player: ‘As a kicker, it's never easy when you don't get into the game. You always have to make sure that you fit into the team, no matter how things are going personally. That's the most important thing. The team has to function, you always have to subordinate yourself to the team!’

Squad news

Matteo Perez Vinlöf returns to the squad after serving his yellow card suspension. With the exception of the long-term injured Ziad El Sheiwi and Florian Wustinger, everyone is on board.