Chances in the ÖFB Cup
Carinthian club threatens highest bankruptcy of all time
Attack! Six Carinthian clubs are attacking in the first round of the ÖFB Cup. The "Krone" has taken a look at the clubs' chances of advancing. . .
Five of Carinthia's six ÖFB Cup representatives have to play on Friday. The Bundesliga clubs have doable tasks. WAC face Draßburg at 7 p.m., while Austria Klagenfurt take on Gloggnitz, also at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, promoted regional league side Treibach welcome second division side Kapfenberg at 18:30. The top match of Carinthian League club Velden will take place at 6 p.m. in Villach-Lind against neo-Bundesliga side GAK. Köttmannsdorf also play at 6 p.m. - second division team Horn rolls up.
The only Saturday match has probably already been decided in advance: ASK Klagenfurt (2nd class!) welcomes regional league club Sportunion Mauer at 6pm. The "Krone" took a look at the Carinthian representatives' chances of promotion in the run-up to the game.
It's best at home! That's what WAC coach Didi Kühbauer wants to be able to say after the cup game in Draßburg. "It's on my doorstep, just 6 kilometers from my home in Wulkaprodersdorf," grins "Don Didi".
Of course, the 53-year-old knows the local area very well. His older brother Josef knows them even better. Especially as the 56-year-old coached Draßburg for three years (2015 - 2018), taking them into the regional league. And this year, Josef will also face Draßburg as coach of Mattersburg 2020 in the Burgenlandliga - who qualified for the cup as BFV Cup final losers despite being relegated from the regional league.
Josef's tips for Didi? "The Draßburgers are a completely new squad, having replaced 21 players. They first have to find their feet," explains Josef Kühbauer, who has taken care of a training ground for the WAC. The "Wolves" only set off on Friday morning, occupying day rooms in the nearby Hotel Müllner. "No matter how or what - nothing will happen to Didi. It's inconceivable that anything could go wrong," says Josef. Didi Kühbauer himself emphasizes: "We don't underestimate anyone. But there would be no excuse if it didn't work out!"
Altunashvili and Zukic are missing
In terms of personnel? Sandro Altunashvili will be rested, Nik Polster could be in goal. Didi isn't giving anything away, only saying: "No matter who plays - that has no significance for the one-man position." Neo-director Dejan Zukic is definitely not included - he does not have permission to play. And David Atanga - "Krone" readers have been informed - has already been spotted and will be signing soon!
Peter Pacult leaves nothing to chance. Especially not in the first round of the ÖFB Cup - and not even if the opponent is "only" Gloggnitz. The Lower Austrians won the regional league title this year and were promoted to the Regionalliga Ost - with only one home defeat!
Pacult therefore sent his spies to the Gloggnitz team's Lower Austrian Supercup match - which they lost 4:0 (0:1) at cup winners Korneuburg. "Co-coach Lassnig watched it, I followed the match via stream - and I also have a lot of friends there who gave me tips," revealed Pacult.
One of them was Roman Mählich. After all, the former team player is the new sports director of Korneuburg. "I know pretty much everything about Gloggnitz now," grins Pacult, but emphasizes: "They had a few players missing at 0:4. We can't take the match against a regional league team lightly!" The Violets set off at 9 a.m. on Friday, occupying the day rooms at the Sporthotel am Semmering.
The Gloggnitz captain is certainly an interesting man: 41-year-old goalkeeper Stefan Bliem. On October 25, 2008, the former Mattersburg goalkeeper celebrated his Bundesliga debut against Rapid against coach Pacult of all people, losing 0:1. He has crossed swords with Pacult a total of five times - Bliem's record: two wins, three defeats. "I still know him", says "PP".
Goalkeeper issue still unresolved
The question of the goalkeeper in Violett has not yet been decided for Pacult: "No matter who is in goal - it doesn't matter yet." Marco Knaller is likely to start on Friday. Jannik Robatsch is fit.
Treibach have already gained plenty of Cup experience! Since the 1993/94 season, they have appeared nine times in the ÖFB Cup - only 21/22 have they survived round one. On Friday, the regional league club will face Kapfenberg at home for the tenth time. Bitter: Treibach's Alex Kurz misses the reunion with his former club after tearing his cruciate ligament.
Neo-bomber Anej Kmetic (had knee surgery on Wednesday) is also missing. Instead, four-time Slovenian junior national team striker Luka Jerin will make his debut. "At 20, he's not as advanced as Kmetic. But he's a good fit for us. He's trying to make the leap into the professional game with us," said Treibach coach Karl Schweighofer.
Four Carinthians at Kapfenberg
And at Kapfenberg? The Styrians have a new coach in Ismail Atalan. And he has to cope with a radical change. There have been 18 departures so far, nine players have been brought in and some talented players have been brought up from the amateur team - which increases Treibach's chances of promotion. "This is a seasoned second division team. We need a great day, Kapfenberg a worse one," says Schweighofer. With Maxi Hofer, Florian Prohart, Luca Hassler and Marcel Kopeinig, Kapfenberg have four Carinthians in their squad.
The stadium in Villach-Lind will awaken from its slumber on Friday. Up to 2000 fans are expected to attend the ÖFB Cup match between Velden and neo-Bundesliga side GAK. And the Carinthian League club is eager for its cup premiere. "We have a plan to stop the favorites," hopes Velden coach Marcel Kuster.
What does it look like? "We won't play like we did in the championship - that would be a suicide mission. But we're not going to sit at the back either, we're going to use our strong offense to make pinpricks, we want to play attractively!" says Kuster, who will have to do without neo-defender Luka Caculovic (wedding!).
Carinthia's only Bundesliga coach is on the GAK sideline: Gernot Messner. And the man from Spittal has been warned, even spying on Velden's 4:0 test match win against Köttmannsdorf recently. "We'll keep the tempo high and want to overwhelm them," emphasizes the 43-year-old.
Of course "Messi", as his friends call him, is really looking forward to returning home. Especially as he also knows half the team at Velden: he promoted WAC to the Bundesliga in 2012 with Mario Kröpfl and Roland Putsche, and had the youngsters Luki Sadnik and Nico Modritz under his wing as head of AKA WAC - where he worked with Kuster. "Messi brought us youngsters up at the WAC, taught us a lot," says Putsche, who even spent vacations together with Gernot back then.
With 138 first league games at Velden, Putsche is also one of the biggest weapons - with goalkeeper Alex Kofler (214), bomber Tom Zurga (53) & Kröpfl (41), the Wörthersee players have 446 games of top league experience. By comparison, the GAK players have 809 games in the top divisions.
Carinthian League club Köttmannsdorf have reached into their bag of tricks ahead of the cup tie against second division side Horn! They used their connections to GAK coach Gernot Messner to get information about their opponents. "He organized a video of the test match against Traiskirchen for us," grins "Suppe", who is participating in the ÖFB Cup for the third time as a coach, but has never been able to win.
This will be the club's fourth appearance in the "concert of the greats" - they have never made it past the first round. And with second-division side Horn, a club with a track record of success awaits. In 2008, when the ÖFB Cup was held without professional teams due to the European Championship at home, they won the final against Feldkirchen 3:2 after a first and second leg. Suppantschitsch's best friend Rudi Perz was the Feldkirchen coach on the sidelines at the time.
Horn without a ready squad
In recent seasons, however, things have looked bleak for the Lower Austrians - in the last ten years, they have only made it past the second round once. And Köttmannsdorf are not without a chance either. Because Horn's squad planning is not yet complete. "There have always been test pilots in the squad recently. But we need a great day," says Suppantschitsch.
Last year, ASK were knocked out of the ÖFB Cup against second division side Admira Wacker in Round 1, losing 4:2 in extra time. This year, however, the Klagenfurt chaos club is likely to be a snack opponent for Cup debutants and Regionalliga-Ost promoted side Union Mauer from Vienna.
The team with HSV, which now only competes in the 2nd class after voluntary relegation, lost 0:15 against 1st class club Gurnitz in the only test match of the preparation. The highest ÖFB Cup defeat of the post-war period so far was a 0:16 by Bruck/L. (Lower Austria) against Austria Wien in 1983, while SV Innsbruck's most recent defeat was a 15-0 drubbing against Ried in 2015.
Carinthia's highest defeat was in 1963
Carinthia's biggest defeat dates back to 1963, when VSV lost 10-1 to Rapid. So are Klagenfurt now trembling at the prospect of their highest ever Cup defeat? "Of course we have no chance. But at least we don't want to fall by the wayside," says sporting director Matthias Dollinger.
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