Austria Wien will face Spaeri FC on Thursday at 6 p.m. (8 p.m. local time/live at the Viola Pub) in the return leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. After a 2-0 win in the first leg, the Violets want to secure their place in the next round in Tbilisi. Coach Stephan Helm wants to see his team's true colours.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the Freebird Airlines A320 took off from Vienna International Airport bound for Tbilisi. In addition to the team, coaching staff and several Austria employees, media representatives, business partners and fans were also on board, filling the plane to capacity. Around three hours later, the delegation landed safely in Georgia.

Everyone involved is fully focused on the return leg against Spaeri FC, with the aim of capitalising on the good position established in the first leg and securing promotion to the third qualifying round. The annoying exit from the first round of the ÖFB Cup last weekend in Voitsberg has already been put behind them.

‘Courageous, aggressive and at peak performance’

‘Of course, it was a bitter disappointment because we had set our sights high in the cup. We addressed a few things clearly and went into detail. Now, as bitter as it is, it is all the more important that we learn from it and do a lot better on Thursday and show our true colours,’ said Stephan Helm before departure.

Everyone knows that the Violets are clear favourites in Tbilisi too. Nevertheless, Helm knows that everything will be decisive: ‘We have to play our game and see it through, be bold and aggressive, and take our chances. Especially after such a bitter defeat, we want to show that we can perform at our best.’ Helm does not accept the heat as an excuse: ‘Both teams have the same conditions, so that's not an issue for us.’

In addition to Luca Pazourek and Philipp Wiesinger, who were recently sidelined due to injury, Ifeanyi Ndukwe is also in Tbilisi. The 17-year-old was called up for the ÖFB training camp, along with Philipp Maybach and Konstantin Aleksa, but left early to fly to Georgia. Dejan Radonjić stayed in Vienna to gain playing experience with the Young Violets, while Kelvin Boateng is out with a minor injury.

Austria squad in Tbilisi

Goal: Samuel Şahin-Radlinger, Lukas Wedl, Mirko Kos
Defence: Aleksandar Dragović, Tin Plavotić, Philipp Wiesinger, Johannes Handl, Ifeanyi Ndukwe
Midfield: Luca Pazourek, Abubakr Barry, Kang Hee Lee, Sanel Šaljić, Hakim Guenouche, Reinhold Ranftl, Manfred Fischer, Dominik Fitz, Matteo Schablas
Attack: Noah Botić, Manprit Sarkaria, Johannes Eggestein, Marko Raguž, Maurice Malone