Preview of the away match at the WAC

Austria Wien will play Wolfsberger AC on Sunday (5:00 pm) in their final away game of the season. A win would see the Violets reclaim second place in the table - and that is the aim of Johannes Handl & Co. Coach Stephan Helm is aware of WAC's strengths, but has full confidence in his team.

With two rounds to go in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, the third-placed Austria (33 points) will play at WAC (36). Three points separate the two teams, with league leaders Sturm Graz (39) a further three points ahead and Red Bull Salzburg (32) in fourth place with one point less. ‘It's extremely exciting that four teams are still fighting for the international places or even more so close to the end and I think that's also very good for the attractiveness of Austrian football,’ says Stephan Helm ahead of the league finish.

‘Sturm Graz and Salzburg have always been at the top in recent years, but WAC and Austria Wien in particular are making this season so exciting. That shows that good work is being done.’ A small confirmation of this is the result of the vote for the best of the 2024/25 season. The presidents, sporting directors and coaches of the Bundesliga voted WAC coach Dietmar Kühbauer as the best coach, with Stephan Helm following directly behind in second place.

‘Want to get three points with our fans’

‘WAC is similar to us, they played a very good season, then got into the flow and are now riding this wave. They're playing very consistently, especially in the championship group, and Didi Kühbauer is doing an excellent job. Like us, they have a good team spirit, as far as I can tell from afar, and have also put their team together very cleverly,’ said Helm, praising his counterpart and Wolfsberg.

The 42-year-old does not want to overemphasise the fact that Austria have done well this season against WAC and Sturm Graz, the two teams ahead of the Violets. ‘Yes, we got good results in these duels, but it must also be said that these games were as close as those against Salzburg and Rapid.’ It is clear that the WAC are currently in great form, as Johannes Handl also knows: ‘They are a very compact team, in a flow and the cup title has certainly spurred them on once again. Nevertheless, we want to win the game there and take three points back to Vienna together with our fans.’

Tough task in Wolfsberg

Not an easy task, as WAC are the only unbeaten team in the championship group, with five wins and three draws in their eight games so far. ‘We respect WAC's performance, they have sparked a great euphoria, but we can also build on our achievements. There's a lot at stake in these final rounds, but it's precisely in games like these that we've shown very good performances and we want to do the same on Sunday,’ said Helm.

The last clash at the Generali-Arena in early April ended goalless, Handl recalls: ‘That was a pretty good game from us, in which we didn't utilise our chances well enough. We can expect a very difficult game in Wolfsberg on Sunday, we're all aware of that. But we also know that we've already proven several times that we're capable of delivering our performance, especially in such situations.’

Dominik Fitz second best of the season

With the exception of Nik Prelec, who is suspended with a yellow card, and the two long-term injuried players Ziad El Sheiwi and Florian Wustinger, the violet coaching team can draw on a full squad. Of course, Dominik Fitz is also in the team. With 22 scorer points (11 goals, 11 assists), he not only extended his lead in this ranking, but also increased his personal best and equalled Karim Konaté's high from the previous season. The 25-year-old was voted the best player of the season in second place behind Otar Kiteishvili.