In the first of two Bundesliga duels in the round of 16, the second Sturm Graz receives the ninth-placed Rieder. Sturm just ended a tough week in England at the weekend, after their 0-1 defeat by Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League they were beaten 4-1 at champions Salzburg on Sunday.
In addition, a few players such as captain Stefan Hierländer (knee surgery) and Alexander Prass (strain in the thigh) revealed complaints that give Christian Ilzer a headache. Vincent Trummer suffers from back problems, and Alexandar Borkovic also has slight muscular problems.
“The past week has of course cost a lot of substance, and we have to think in all directions whether we can change something strategically because of the possible failures,” said the coach. “We will prepare ourselves so that we can tackle the Ried hurdle at home. Knockout games are always special, and we remain confident and want to awaken new potential and see where we can get something out of which player. “
Ried thinks of opportunities
The last time the two teams met in the league was on October 17th. The Graz team won 1-0 in front of their own audience thanks to a goal from Jakob Jantscher. “We will have to play just as aggressively against Sturm Graz as we did last time in the championship. But they won’t be able to surprise us as they have almost perfected their style of play, ”said Ried’s coach Christian Heinle.
“The people of Graz have a very high quality. We were close in the championship and are not without a chance in the cup, ”said midfielder Stefan Nutz.
Jaissle will bring fresh strength
Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle announced that he would bring up a few fresh forces in St. Pölten. “The next few days and weeks will be very intense, so we will trust a few guys who have recently received fewer minutes of action,” said the German on Tuesday. The series champions won the last match so far in St. Pölten on November 18, 2020 with 8: 2, the last match so far on March 7 of this year in Salzburg ended with a 4: 1 victory.
“A knockout game like this always involves a risk. The underdog, in the St. Pölten case, wants to present us with major challenges tomorrow. That is why we cannot afford to make mistakes. Because it is a knockout game, it can be over very quickly, but we are in good spirits and we are going into the game with broad chests, ”said Jaissle.
Salzburg are eight-time cup winners (2012, from 2014 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2021). The 0: 1 after extra time in the 2018 final against Sturm was the only defeat in the last 50 cup games. “The team is really great, we really want to get to the cup final and win it,” said Luka Sucic.
FAC in good shape before the duel with Kapfenberg
The FAC has scored ten points in the second division in the past five championship rounds and conceded only one goal. Most recently there were two home wins against Vorwärts Steyr (2: 0) and SV Horn (3: 0). So the self-confidence is right, and after six years the Floridsdorfers want to reach the round of the best eight cup teams again.
“This game is a unique opportunity for the entire FAC, so there is no need for extra motivation, neither for the players, nor for the staff and fans,” said sports manager Lukas Fischer before the home game against Kapfenberg. In the fourth round of 16, Bundesliga club Hartberg is the favorite away from second division club Blau Weiß Linz.
