Wimmer: "Courageous into the derby!"

On Sunday (5:00 p.m.), the Violets welcome their eternal city rivals for the 341st big Viennese derby. With over 15,000 tickets sold, the Generali Arena is almost sold out. There are still remaining tickets for members and season ticket holders. Coach Michael Wimmer is looking forward to an "awesome game" and appeals to the willpower of his team: "We have to be brave in the derby, play soccer with conviction!"

Coach Michael Wimmer

...on the recent lack of goals:

"Fortunately, we have several players who can score goals. Right up front, it's not working out as we would like, but Alex (Schmidt, note) and Fisnik (Asllani, note) have my fullest confidence. Alex has come with a training deficit. Fisnik has to get used to the toughness first, he still moves away from the box too much, moves between the lines a lot. We still need to get him to understand that we need him up front the most. Both have quality, but we need to develop both and accept that they still need a bit."

...on the upcoming opponent:

"We should stay with ourselves, play our game. Rapid has changed in terms of play, has more depth from the second wave through Grüll and Seidl and good running routes. We know about their strengths. At home, with the fans behind us, it will be a great game. Every sense of achievement, every successful pass, every goal can give us self-confidence. We have to be brave on Sunday, play soccer with conviction."

...on defensive uncertainties:

"The biggest mistake would be to go into a game with fear. What should we be afraid of? Of course, there is the thought of closing down at the back once in a while. But what concerns me more is the fact that we tend to concede goals, especially after we've scored. We sometimes lack consistency in these phases. The key will be to remain consistent with and against the ball, not to fall into passivity. I see the players on the pitch every day. The team has a good character, the energy is right. I wish her a little more luck in the game."

Sports Director Manuel Ortlechner

...on the defense, which has been prone to mistakes lately:

"We are getting too many goals. We need more greed and joy in defending, we have to be more concentrated, consistent and uncompromising in the duels. Defense doesn't start with the back line. It's a lot of a head thing right now. We have to work harder, not only in certain phases, but over the whole game."

...on refereeing decisions:

"We as Austria Wien are known for our sportsmanship. After the Altach game, I went down to the referee's booth because I couldn't understand some of the decisions. You have to address that, but should remain appreciative. We had four 'gamechanger' moments that were decided against us. We as a club feel that some decisions are quite incomprehensible, but we also don't want to accuse anyone of arbitrariness. We want to be treated fairly. With the VAR we have the technical tools, this help should also be accepted."

Staff news

The 341st Vienna derby will go ahead without the long-term injured Ziad El Sheiwi, Flo Wustinger and Marko Raguž. Luvas Galvão is suspended, James Holland is questionable.