There were no winners at the start of the Bundesliga qualifying group two weeks ago. Vienna Austria wants to change that on Friday in round two against Blau-Weiß Linz (7:30 p.m. in the LIVE ticker >>>).
At home, the “Veilchen” have been unbeaten in ten league games, so they need three points against the promoted team. “We want the series to last,” explained coach Michael Wimmer. The Stahlstadters, on the other hand, want to compete in the relegation battle.
Staffing concerns at the distribution circuit remain
The personnel situation at the Violets didn’t really ease during the international break. Marvin Martins is likely to return, the defender was already in action for Luxembourg in the European Championship play-off against Georgia and in the friendly against Kazakhstan. However, fellow defender Tin Plavotic is out with an adductor injury.
Luca Pazourek is given time off by Wimmer after three full U19 international appearances, “to catch his breath,” as Wimmer said on Thursday.
Romeo Vucic is also questionable. “He vomited overnight, so we’ll have to wait and see.” With Marvin Potzmann (adductor) and Fisnik Asllani (torn tendon), who have been injured for a long time, the coach hopes “that they will get back into team training or partial training quite quickly.”
Austria wants to “control” the games for longer
Wimmer used the international break for video analysis and work on group tactics. “A phase like this is always good for us because we can then reflect on what has happened in the last few weeks, what we need to work on and what worked better,” explained the 43-year-old.
“We have to get to the point where we can control a game for longer.” You can no longer give up your dominance so easily. Austria conceded a late 1-1 equalizer in Altach two weeks ago.
Austria has won the previous two season duels with Blue and White 4:0 (h) and 2:1 (a). Andreas Gruber became the goal guarantor with four goals. Wimmer still warned: “They were two close games, even if the 4-0 score looks clearer than it was.”
Wimmer: “Always come into the game as the favorite” – Scheiblehner optimistic
However, since the Linzers, in contrast to Austria, who want to get into the European Cup play-offs, are completely prepared for a relegation battle, the roles are clearly assigned. “It’s something different in the qualifying group, you always go into the game as favorites,” said Wimmer.
“For many teams, it’s mainly about not losing. That also changes the way they play. They are much deeper. You need more solutions in the final third and good remaining defense,” explained the German.
The Linzers defended their four-point lead over the bottom team in a 0-0 home draw against Lustenau. However, the Upper Austrians have been without a win for nine rounds (4 draws, 5 defeats). The promoted team gained courage from a 2-0 friendly win against Sturm Graz last week.
Coach Gerald Scheiblehner, who has all players available except for striker Joao Luiz, is optimistic. The best results were achieved against the stronger teams. “It’s a little easier for us against teams that are stronger in terms of play and that’s why we’re going to Vienna with absolute faith,” said Scheiblehner.
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2024-03-28 15:19:27
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