Preview of the last group match in Be'er Scheva

The Violets landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday at 14:00, from the Israeli capital they went directly by bus to the Turner Stadium in Be'er Sheva, one and a half hours away, where the press conference & final training were on the agenda from 17:30. Austria have already been eliminated from the European Cup with two points from their first five group matches:

"Unfortunately, we didn't manage to win the home match against Lech Poznan last week and thus have a final match in Be'er Sheva. We still have two important games in the league that we want to win. Nevertheless, we will put everything into it on Thursday as well, it's all about prestige and bonuses for the club," says coach Manfred Schmid.

In the Bundesliga, Austria will play away against WSG Tirol on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., which is why the team will travel directly from Tel Aviv to Salzburg on Friday, where the Violets will be picked up by the team bus and brought to Tirol. First, however, it is important to say goodbye to the European Cup autumn with a positive experience on Thursday:

"We will see who is one hundred percent fit after the final training. Of course we will have to make changes in a few positions, but we will start with the best possible line-up," explains Schmid.

For Hapoel Be'er Scheva, the long-distance duel with Lech Poznan is still about promotion, the first duel in Vienna ended 0:0: "I expect a strong opponent, they have shown their quality several times in the group phase. I see us as equals. Be'er Scheva has a strong team and the home advantage on their side. I think with a concentrated and good performance we can get something here."

Not taking part in Israel are Lukas Mühl, who had his adductor injury treated in Germany, and Andreas Gruber, who was unable to train recently due to illness and continues to recover. Nikola Dovedan is not eligible to play in the European Cup. Otherwise, the long-term injured Ziad El Sheiwi, Florian Wustinger, Marko Raguž and Muharem Huskovic are missing.