"The anticipation for the game is huge. The sell-out is the best recognition from the fans since I have been Austria coach. I have noticed time and again how much the fans enjoy following our path and how enthusiastic they are about the way we play football and develop. The fans have played a huge part in our success. When you see the atmosphere in the stadium every time, I can only say thank you," said coach Manfred Schmid.

Sturm Graz are in third place in the table after nine rounds with 18 points, the Styrians lost only one of their first nine games and conceded only five goals:

"Sturm is an opponent who is playing a really strong season. They seem very solid and have a clear game plan, both offensively and defensively. We have to be on our toes, throw everything into the game and be on our guard. When I think back to the last home game against Sturm (note: 4:2 in the last round), I remember very good moments. We played a really good game there. I expect that we will see another good game on Sunday - tactically and playfully on a high level," explained the Austria coach.

A dense programme awaits the Violets in October, with top matches in a three- or four-day rhythm: Sturm (h) is followed in the next two weeks by Villarreal (a), Derby (a), Villarreal (h) and Salzburg (h): "We are expecting very big calibres and highly interesting games. For my team it's a really great story. Despite the strong opponents, we want to perform like we did in the last games. We want to play football and develop our game," says Schmid.

Personnel News

Marvin Martins and Muharem Huskovic are banged up after their international appearances (A-team of Luxembourg & ÖFB U21), also some other players are questionable:

"Until today Marvin wasn't at training, it could be that he is out. We have one or two considerations for left back that I don't want to reveal to the public right now. With Huskovic, too, we'll have to wait and see if he can play on Sunday. Tabakovic was ill and even spent a night in hospital, Holland was only able to do his first training session on Friday. Koumetio has ankle pain. The crucial thing is that we have a functioning group - that's why I'm not worried. We will try to get the best out of our squad," Manfred Schmid describes.