“You have to stay with yourself and assess it correctly,” said Schicker, explaining his modesty at the league’s opening press conference on Tuesday in Vienna. Already on Friday (8.45 p.m., live on ORF1) the two teams will meet in Wals-Siezenheim in the cup. Schicker’s counterpart at Red Bull Salzburg, Christoph Freund, recalled the 2018 final, which had gone stormy. “It was a real football festival,” said Freund, who expects a “real position determination” against Graz.
Salzburg’s success manager is very optimistic. There was a lot of time, namely the league’s longest winter break in 23 years at 88 days, newcomers like young Israeli star Oskar Gloukh and the return of many an injured player. The “painful” departure of defense chief Maximilian Wöber to Leeds United in the Premier League can also be coped with. “We have really good energy in the team,” said Freund.
Sturm also got new, young forces with Austria Lustenau striker Bryan Teixeira (22) and Arsenal loan goalie Arthur Okonkwo (21). The latter is to replace longtime goalkeeper Jörg Siebenhandl, who will leave in the summer. Then midfielder Ivan Ljubic will also leave Sturm, and not now, as Schicker confirmed on Tuesday. Like Siebenhandl, the 26-year-old is associated with LASK, among other things. Manprit Sarkaria will also remain with the club, said the sporting director.
Rapid hopes for a “perfect spring”
The league start exactly one week after the cup is just as tough, with Rapid the fourth in the table making a guest appearance in Graz. For Hütteldorfer, who are four points ahead of seventh place and compete in the Cup at Pellets WAC, it is the start of an intensive remaining program in the regular season. Salzburg is an opponent as well as the WSG Tirol and again the WAC, also in the final Vienna derby it is against an opponent who absolutely wants to be in the master group.
After the “extremely stressful” first few weeks at work, the new sports director Markuskatzer was optimistic. “I hope that spring will be very easy,” he said, alluding to the statement made by Steffen Hofmann, who is also new to the office. “I have a good feeling.”
LASK is looking forward to the stadium opening
Four points ahead of Rapid and seven behind Sturm, LASK overwintered in third place, the master group should be a relatively easy goal to achieve. Up front they were loaned out to Sparta Prague, and 20-year-old Nigerian Moses Usor showed his skills in tests.
After years of exile in Pasching, the fans are now looking forward to the opening of the “Gugl neu”, on February 24 against Lustenau. “A project of the century,” said sports coordinator Dino Buric, which could even be used as a “good argument” in contract talks.
Tough spring in the relegation battle
WSG Tirol, which has 24 points like Rapid, but also Austria Klagenfurt (21), Wiener Austria (20), Austria Lustenau (18) and WAC (17) can have further hopes for the top six . Excitement seems guaranteed in this regard. So far, the overall relaxed transfer phase has been the calmest for WSG, which was the only Bundesliga club to report no arrivals or departures until Tuesday. “We won’t dream, our goal is still staying up in the league,” said sporting director Stefan Köck.
At the bottom of the table, on the other hand, a tough spring is in the offing for Egger Glas Hartberg (11), bottom of the table, and SV Guntamatic Ried (13) and Cashpoint Altach (15) will probably have to struggle as well. Ried also only had to accept goalie and support Samuel Sahin-Radlinger’s month-long injury break on Monday. Sports director Thomas Reicheltshammer wants to react, he has in mind an “Austrian solution with some routine”, as he said.
