On Sunday (5:00 pm), the Veilchen welcome SCR Altach to the Generali-Arena. More than 11,000 tickets for the last match before the winter break were sold on Friday morning. Coach Stephan Helm is eager for an eighth Bundesliga win in a row: ‘We're feeling a lot of positive energy right now, which we want to convert into performance.’

Coach Stephan Helm on...

...the upcoming opponent:
‘We have prepared specifically for Altach. They have always been proactive in recent games. They want to play purposefully and put pressure on the ball. The new coach (Fabio Ingolitsch, note) has brought a lot of new ideas with him. Their last few games were always decided towards the end. They picked up a point against the reigning double winners last week. We've been warned.’

...the recent winning streak:
‘We're feeling a lot of positive energy right now, which we want to turn into performance. Of course, a run like that is great, but a run doesn't help in individual games. The positive side effect is of course that our self-confidence is growing. But every game writes its own story.’

...the internal competition:
‘Every player knows that they have to confirm their performances on a weekly basis. We can now also influence the game from the bench, which is good. We don't change too much in the squad, but everyone knows that there is someone in their position who also wants to play. The competition is very fair and positive, we have a good culture in the squad. We can put together the starting eleven and squad for each game in such a way that we increase the likelihood of achieving positive results.’

...the financial situation:
‘The club has ensured since the summer that we can go about our work in peace. Of course, you get a little bit of information on the sidelines. But we don't concern ourselves with it. It's important that we can continue to work professionally without being disturbed. Everyone has managed to do this, which is one of the reasons for the positive atmosphere in the club. We all have the feeling that we have built something very positive here recently. That is the basis for successful football.’

...the explosion in performance after the change of sides:
‘It's obvious that our athletics coaches are doing a super job. Of course, there is also the tactical background, but the most important thing is that we have so many fit players available for 90 minutes. The spaces are usually tighter in the first half, but that often loosens up after the break. We're also very patient and don't let ourselves get rattled.’

Maurice Malone about...

...the current streak:
‘Things are going well for us as a team, I can only benefit from that as a striker. With the exception of the WAC match, we've performed very confidently in the last few games. That gives us confidence. Confirming victories is a great task. A few weeks ago it was written about us that we were a flash in the pan. But seven wins in a row is something to be proud of. We now have to keep working hard.’

...his debut in Favoriten:
‘I was received very positively right from the start. At the beginning I was deployed in a different position, I tended to come in at left midfield, but I feel a bit more comfortable at centre forward.’

...the power of the fans:
‘The fans whip us forward in every game. I remember the game against Blau-Weiß Linz when we were 0-1 behind. With the fans behind us, we suddenly had a power play and it was only a matter of time before we turned the game around. They have played a big part in our current successes!’

Squad news

Dominik Fitz returns to the team after his yellow card suspension. All players are fit apart from Ziad El Sheiwi.