Helm: "We want to play courageously against LASK!"

On Sunday afternoon (5 p.m.), the Violets will host Linzer ASK at the Generali Arena. With a win, the Violets could secure early entry into the championship group. By Friday afternoon, 12,600 tickets had been sold. Samuel Şahin-Radlinger and head coach Stephan Helm answered questions from the media at Friday's press conference.

Stephan Helm ...

... on the opponents from Linz: 
"It's very close in the league. Everyone knows Didi Kühbauer's impressive record at LASK. You have to respect him for that. They are doing a lot of things right at the moment. They will learn from their 5-1 defeat to Salzburg. For us, that's neither a curse nor a blessing. It was clear that they would lose again at some point. They have an experienced manager and a lot of individual class. It won't have a big impact. We want to be active and courageous, that's what we're focusing on."

... on the possibility of reaching the championship group: 
"I don't get involved in number games. We've put ourselves in a good position. We don't want to get distracted by the wrong things. No one knows what will happen in two weeks. Our full focus is on the LASK game. Then we'll see."

... on the young, violet path: 
"In the summer, we decided to let one or two established players go to make room for younger ones. Now we've decided to bring in Vaso Marković. That's the new part of the game, we all decided that together. We have enough experienced players to make it easier for the young ones. That was clearly demonstrated in the Salzburg game, for example. The team is well put together. We want to give the players direct feedback and continue to work hard. There will be setbacks, but we will emerge stronger from them."

... on the development of Taeseok Lee:
"Taeseok Lee has developed superbly. He comes from the other side of the planet, but speaks good English. He arrived and played very consistently straight away, but then had to be released for three international matches, travelling halfway around the world. Sometimes that takes its toll on him. He is a regular player in the South Korean national team. Just imagine that. As a club, we have to remain innovative: on the one hand, promoting young players, but – as with Abu Barry or Taeseok – also keeping an eye on the market."

Samuel Şahin-Radlinger ...  

... on the mood in the team:
"The mood is very good again after the setback at the weekend. We generally have a great atmosphere in the team and are motivated to keep improving. We are looking forward to the match against LASK with great anticipation. It's in our own hands to secure a place in the upper play-offs."

... on the return of Aleksandar Dragović:
"Of course, I'm delighted that Drago is back. He's the best defender in Austria with the ball. But we have plenty of quality in defence even without him."  

... on his preferences:
"I actually like the English weather. In Altach, it was perhaps a bit too much. I hope the pitch conditions are good on Sunday. For a goalkeeper, it's always a goal to keep a clean sheet, of course. But I don't care about that. The important thing is that we score one more goal than them. That's what we have to do against LASK."

Squad news

Kelvin Boateng is out for three to four weeks with a broken metacarpal bone. Sanel Šaljić is doubtful. Abdoulaye Kanté has been integrated into team training in recent weeks. He is to be gradually brought up to speed and could possibly be an option in the coming weeks.