Conference League |

30.07.2024

Helm: ‘We have the quality to move up!’

Tomorrow, Wednesday (8:30 pm), the Violets face Ilves in the second leg of the second Conference League qualifying round. At today's press conference, coach Stephan Helm and Dominik Fitz explained how they intend to make up for the 1-2 deficit.

GEPA

Coach Stephan Helm about...

...tomorrow's opponent:
‘They played the way we expected them to. They are a team that is very courageous in certain situations. I think we put our stamp on them despite the defeat, but didn't score at the crucial moments. After the goal we conceded, we had a period of pressure and the 0:2 was unnecessary. The 1-2 gave us a better starting position once again. For tomorrow, we have to bring our game to the pitch, but also show a certain amount of patience and be careful in transition situations. Every game writes its own story. We have to make sure we keep a clean sheet and have players with quality who are good for surprises.’

...the Finnish artificial turf:
‘We've taken to it very well. This time it's unfamiliar terrain for our opponents. The atmosphere and support of the fans will probably be more of an advantage for us than the surface.’

...the 6:0 in Saalfelden:
‘The last few games have shown that we always had a really good move on the pitch in the first 10 or 15 minutes. The boys did a good job on Sunday, scoring six goals in a game like that is not a given. They showed that you can count on them. We need to get as many fresh players on the pitch as possible tomorrow. We have one or two considerations, we can draw from the full.’

...new signing Aleksandar Dragović:
‘We're delighted to have acquired such a player. I'm delighted that he's joining us. But my focus is now 100 per cent on tomorrow's game. We'll deal with everything else after the Tampere game.’

...training progress & playing philosophy:
‘I've been here for five weeks now. It's about implementing ideas. Now it's our job to consolidate the things that work. We have phases where I think things are looking pretty good. But I'm not a magician, we're at the beginning of a process. It's my job to find the right mix, we want to build confidence and continue to raise the level of the team.’

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FK Austria Wien - Ilves Tampere

Wednesday, 8:30 pm, Generali Arena

Dominik Fitz about...

...Ilves:
‘We want a positive result, we gained confidence at the weekend with the Cup win. We dominated for long stretches in Tampere, but we struggled to capitalise on our chances. I'm optimistic that we'll get it right tomorrow. Our focus over the last few days has been on regeneration. Maybe the heat will help us, the weather has always been like this in recent weeks. We're used to it by now, the Finns perhaps not so much. Our fans and the natural turf are two more factors that could help us.’

...the injury & separation from Jo Handl:
‘It's no secret now that Jo is my best friend in the team. Of course, I get off on him on the pitch from time to time, but we also see a lot of each other off the pitch. That's why the whole thing is still limited.’