In the Bundesliga hit on Sunday (2:30 p.m. in LIVE-Ticker) between Sturm Graz and Rapid could indirectly crown the Austrian champion.
If the Hütteldorfer win and at the same time Red Bull Salzburg score three points in Vienna against Austria, the new plate entry of the “bulls” would also be mathematically fixed.
In the Merkur Arena, however, the focus is not on the race for first place but on the race for second place. Bundesliga – table >>>
Feldhofer sees Sturm in a better position
With six laps to go, Sturm is five points ahead of Rapid in second place, followed by Austria one point behind. The runner-up starts in the Champions League qualifier in the summer, the third has a place in a European Cup group stage, provided that Salzburg wins the cup final against Ried. On the other hand, an arduous Conference League qualification awaits fourth.
It is therefore obvious that Rapid coach Ferdinand Feldhofer is striving for the high table regions. “The further ahead, the better,” said the ex-ÖFB team player. However, Feldhofer sees Graz in the better starting position in the fight for second place.
“It seems so,” said the former defender when asked if Sturm was currently the second force in Austria. “They have been in this position for a long time, they initiated the upheaval, the new path, earlier.”
Rapid’s way is rewarded
Nevertheless Feldhofer sees good chances for his squad. “We certainly haven’t gotten any worse since the last game against Sturm (note: 2-2 in Graz in February), quite the opposite. Everything is possible on Sunday, I’m very confident that we can win in Graz as well.”
The 2-1 home win over the WAC a week ago brought additional self-confidence. “We received a lot of praise after the last game. The path we’re taking is rewarded. Together with our fans, strength can develop again so that we stand for success and victories again,” explained Feldhofer.
Dibon at it again
The personnel situation at Rapid has recently eased slightly, with Ferdy Druijf returning to the squad alongside Marco Grüll, who was suspended. Another player, who is not named but who is also infected with Corona, has to take a back seat to training for safety reasons. In addition, seven players are still injured, including goalie Paul Gartler, who is expected to return next week.
Christopher Dibon will be there as in the previous week. “He is an extremely important piece of the puzzle and can not only help us on the pitch,” Feldhofer said of the veteran defender.
The rapid coach is now returning to his former place of work for the umpteenth time. “It’s not really anything special anymore, it’s been so often now,” said the former WAC coach, who spent eleven years as a player with the “Blackys”.
Ilzer expects “speed punching”
By Friday afternoon, 14,000 of the 15,400 tickets had been sold for the game, with Sturm hoping for the first sold-out home match in a long time. “Games against Rapid are always something special,” said coach Christian Ilzer.
According to the Styrian, he expects a match with “many duels, high intensity and tough duels”. The last showdown so far was a “speed fight”. “Every meter was fought over, and I’m counting on that on Sunday as well. Two teams will meet that work similarly actively against the ball, but also want to put their game on the pitch,” explained Ilzer.
Rapid’s victory over the WAC despite 17 failures commanded respect from the former Austria supervisor. “They coped very well with the difficult personnel situation. The starting XI also showed the quality of Rapid’s squad.”
Bundesliga – Schedule/Results >>>
Possible line-ups SK Sturm Graz – SK Rapid Vienna
(Graz, Mercury Arena, 2.30pm, SR Kijas).
Results of the season so far: 3:0 (a), 2:2 (h)
Sturm: Siebenhandl – Gazibegovic, Affengruber, Wüthrich, Dante – Gorenc-Stankovic, Sarkaria, Kiteishvili, Prass – Jantscher, Höjlund
Replacements: Schützenauer – Jäger, Ljubic, Niangbo, Kuen, Kronberger, Hierländer
Missing: Geyrhofer (convalescent)
Rapid: Hedl – Stojkovic, Aiwu, K. Wimmer, Moormann – Grahovac, Ljubicic – Schick, Demir, Grüll – Zimmermann
Substitution: Unger – Dibon, Auer, Querfeld, Fallmann, Binder, Savic, Tambwe-Kasengele, Druijf
Missing: Greiml (after knee surgery), Hofmann (calf injury), Gartler (thigh injury), Schobesberger (muscle problems), Kitagawa (knee pain), Arase (ailing), Schuster (bone marrow edema), Petrovic (corona after-effects) and not by name Named players (corona infections)
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