Preview of the away match in Ried

The Violets suffered a 0–2 home defeat against SK Sturm Graz last week. Despite the loss, coach Stephan Helm is optimistic about the team’s upcoming fixtures based on their performance: “We managed to step up the intensity and looked more compact than in previous matches. However, we need to defend even more consistently as a team and show more cutting edge up front to finally turn the game in our favour.”

The team still have their final training session in Vienna-Favoriten on Friday afternoon before the team bus sets off for Ried: “I’ve sensed throughout the training week that the team is hungry and raring to be rewarded with points for their hard work,” emphasises Stephan Helm.

“Let’s focus on what we can influence”

How are the players coping with the current sporting situation? “It’s particularly important at times like this to focus on the things we can influence and not to dwell too much on our position in the table. We have a clear idea of how we want to perform – and we’ve often proven in the past that we’re ultimately rewarded for it when we consistently put our approach into practice on the pitch,” explains the Austria coach.

Opponents SV Ried are currently sixth in the table and have picked up seven points from their last three matches against Salzburg (1–1), WAC (4–1) and WSG Tirol (2–1). Since the start of the season, the Upper Austrians have had a new head coach on the touchline in Mario Despotovic:

“It’s clear to see that Mario Despotovic has brought in new ideas. He encourages bold football – and Ried have recently been rewarded for that. It’s clear that this has given them a certain amount of confidence at the moment. It’s important for us to deliver our best performance on the pitch – then we’ll have a good chance of winning the match,” says Helm.

Team news

Defensive stalwart Aleksandar Dragović is carrying an injury and is therefore a doubt for the Ried match. Philipp Wiesinger and Noah Botić are not yet in contention for the squad this week – but both have made significant progress again during this week’s training sessions and are gradually being integrated back into team training. “Wiesinger and Botić should be back in contention for the squad soon, which is very encouraging,” reports Stephan Helm. Manprit Sarkaria, however, will be out of action until the end of the year.