Helm: ‘We want to end the losing streak against Salzburg!’

In the big match of the 11th round of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, the Violets welcome runners-up Red Bull Salzburg to the Generali Arena on Sunday afternoon (5 p.m.). By Friday, more than 13,000 tickets had been sold. The home side have been waiting for a win against the ‘Bulls’ since May 2018. This time it should happen, emphasises head coach Stephan Helm: ‘We all want this streak to end.’

Stephan Helm on...  

...the devastating series against Red Bull:
"I was there as a video analyst during the last victory seven years ago. If you look at Red Bull's teams over the last seven years, they have always been brutally good. I think we've been able to close the gap a bit in recent seasons, with the games being much closer. It's a huge extra motivation for everyone at the club to crack the code and end this losing streak. You have to assess Salzburg's current performances correctly; they have strong opponents in the European Cup and are currently second in the league. You have to put that into perspective."  

...on the injuries to young players:
"You have to look at it in a differentiated way. In Sanel's case, it was external influence, which is difficult to do anything about. Bundesliga football is very intense. You have to introduce the young players gently; patience is required. With Sanel, it was a long, positive process that soon bore fruit. On Sunday, it was just bad luck."  

...his former boss Thomas Letsch: 
"Thomas Letsch and I have a good relationship; he is a very good coach and was also my boss at Austria at the time. Of course, you suffer to a certain extent when things aren't going well. He is an absolute expert whom I hold in high regard. With regard to tomorrow's match, I would like to refrain from congratulating him. I've done that too often in the past. I hope he congratulates me tomorrow."  

...his impending yellow card suspension:
"I usually have a good relationship with the referees, but there are too many yellow cards. With all due self-criticism, there should have been one less yellow card. I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to keep my current four yellow cards until the 32nd round without a suspension. Joking aside, I have to be careful, this is not okay. I will work on improving."

Johannes Eggestein on... 

...his scoring record (7 points in the last 5 games):
‘My personal development and that of the team go hand in hand. We are more stable in our processes, which is now evident on the pitch. I am naturally delighted that I am now also benefiting from this.’ 

...on strike partner Noah Botić:
"Whether it's Noah, Sanel or Manprit, what sets us apart is that we work very well together as an attacking trio in all constellations. It's special with Noah: we're a good match as players. He has a drive for goal and runs at the posts at speed. I like to move around the box, drop back, lift my head and look for Noah in the penalty area. I'm very happy that it's worked so well in recent weeks."   

...the city, the league, Austrian football:
"I feel very comfortable in Vienna, having been here often as a tourist before. I like going to the coffee houses here. In the league, a lot of emphasis is placed on pressing, sometimes playing 1-on-1 across the whole pitch. In Germany, teams tend to play in compact blocks, allowing little space at the back. It feels like fewer goals are scored there. In Austria, it's more rewarding for me as an attacking player."  

...the game of Wiener Austria:  
"In professional football, everything is very close. We didn't get the results we wanted at the beginning, so we agreed on a deep block. That helped us recover quite well. We had to find our feet at the start of the season. Our game can be a deep block, but also high pressing, as we saw in Tyrol, for example. I think this versatility makes us difficult to predict against our opponents." 

...the statistics against Red Bull Salzburg:
"For me personally, it's not an important statistic at first glance. But in the context of the club, it becomes important, and that carries over to the team and therefore to me personally. The goal against Salzburg should be to win." 

Personnel news 

Tin Plavotić and Kang-hee Lee are fit again. Aleks Dragović completed all training sessions this week and could be in the starting line-up against Red Bull. Sanel Šaljić is out until the winter break after partially tearing his syndesmotic ligament.