Good omen for Sturm

The road to Cup glory always leads via Salzburg

Roman Kienast (center) celebrated winning the cup with Sturm against Wr. Neustadt in 2010 after Salzburg had previously been eliminated.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The path to Cup glory for Sturm always leads via Salzburg! The Blackies have reached the cup final a total of ten times in the club's history, winning the title six times - and on the last three occasions, the always highly favored "Bulls" were eliminated. Former Sturm legends are also in good spirits for this year's final.

Roman Kienast still has fond memories of the first successful "bull run" in the 2009/10 season. On his Sturm debut, he played ten minutes in the Cup round of 16 against Salzburg, scoring a clever lob in snowy conditions to secure the 2-0 win. "We then beat Wr. Neustadt 1:0 in the final! That could be a small parallel again this year. For me, Sturm are slight favorites against Rapid, although the game has to be played first," says the Vienna assistant coach (who is still connected to Sturm via the legends club's WhatsApp group), "because Rapid have improved under coach Klauß! I'll definitely be watching the final live, just like last year - the atmosphere was incredible. In terms of the fans, it's the perfect final."

Deni Alar lifts the trophy in 2018 after a final sensation against Salzburg.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Deni Alar will also never forget his 2018 Cup triumph against the team from the city of Mozart: "We beat Salzburg 1:0 in the final in Klagenfurt thanks to a Hierländer goal in the 112th minute, even though they had blown us away in the league three days earlier!"

Sturm Salzburg's run to the Cup title

2009/10: Round of 16: Sturm - Salzburg 2:0. Final: Sturm - Wr. Neustadt 1:0.

2017/18: Final: Sturm - Salzburg 1:0 n.V.

2022/23: Quarter-final: Salzburg - Sturm 5:6 i. E. Final: Sturm - Rapid 2:0.

2023/24: Semi-final: Salzburg - Sturm 3:4. Final: Sturm - Rapid.

Sturm impressed Deni on Thursday: "Despite Stankovic's suspension, they showed what a unit they are. In the final of the best fan camps, I see Sturm as slight favorites, a few percent stronger than Rapid. However, Rapid are better than last year. You can't let the Viennese combine."