Bundesliga in the ticker

Austria Vienna against WSG Tirol from 5pm LIVE

Austria Vienna face WSG Tirol today.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

11th round of the Austrian Bundesliga. Austria Wien have to play against WSG Tirol. We report live from 5pm, see ticker below.

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Vienna's Austria are aiming for their third win in a row in the Austrian Football League today. In the home game against latecomers WSG Tirol, the "Veilchen" are considered the favorites, and if they pick up three points, they could establish themselves in the top third of the table. WSG have only managed two full wins this season, both of which were away from home.

If Austria coach Stephan Helm has his way, the Watten team will travel home without any points. Although WSG are "doing a good job, we can build on our recent performances. It's important to bring good energy onto the pitch right from the start and put our opponents under pressure," explained the Burgenland native ahead of the game, for which 10,500 tickets had been sold by midday on Friday.

Austria coach Stephan Helm

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The trend is clearly pointing upwards, emphasized Helm. "We are one of the teams that are most present in the final third and in the opponent's penalty area. Now we have to stay on the ball and step on the gas." There is enough self-confidence after the recent positive experiences. "When you win, it always gives you a good feeling," said Helm.

Despite all the confidence, captain Manfred Fischer did not want to talk about a "must-win". "I don't think much of that word, the league is so evenly matched." The Styrian also thinks little of the VAR, especially since the hand penalty in Klagenfurt was not awarded the previous week. "It feels like eight million people in Austria saw that, only one didn't."

On the bus ride home from Carinthia, he thought intensively about the video assistant and Austria's refereeing system, Fischer said. Conclusion: "I thought to myself, why are you getting upset, nothing will change anyway. I don't worry about it anymore, I can't influence the situation anyway."

Manfred Fischer

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The midfielder insisted that it was not just Austria that had been affected by questionable decisions in recent weeks. "It's just tedious. I'm not saying that it only ever happens to us. It just happens somewhere else, it makes no difference." He hopes for progress in the refereeing area, added Fischer.

The wrong decision by Klagenfurt had no serious consequences for Austria, but it was still enough to win. The team currently fifth in the table now has the chance to establish itself in the upper echelons of the table. In this case, they would also be fully on course for the top 6 and could save themselves some unpleasant thrills in the final rounds of the basic round.

Helm not a fan of league division
Helm made no secret of the fact that he is not a fan of the division into championship and qualifying groups. "The league mode was introduced for a clear reason, namely so that the entertainment society gets its money's worth. Something is being artificially created here that doesn't make the clubs' work any easier." The quality of soccer is suffering as a result of the struggle for places above and below the line, said Helm. "We live from the fact that people find it exciting, but it should be exciting that we play attractive and courageous soccer."

With the philosophy of an appealing offensive kick, it should be possible to stand up to financially overpowering league rivals. "It has been proven that the money table often reflects the real table. I don't think we will outspend our opponents, but perhaps outthink them if we drive the process forward well. We have the right team and really good players for that," said Helm.

The 41-year-old is likely to rely on Nik Prelec again in attack, although the Slovenian former WSG striker has just one assist this league season and has yet to score a goal. Nevertheless, Helm defended the 23-year-old. "He's a physical player who has speed, you don't often get that combination. He's very hard-working, ties up opponents, ties up balls and passes them on. That's a percentage that you can't measure in scoring points," explained the coach. "But of course we and he himself would like him to start scoring goals soon."

Hinterseer injured
WSG's most prominent striker is out - Lukas Hinterseer is suffering from muscle problems. Nevertheless, coach Philipp Semlic was in good spirits. "We need to analyze the opponent well, develop a good match plan early on and work with the team to ensure that we are well prepared. We are continuing to work on our ideas, refining our processes and have taken a lot from the last game that we can apply and take one step further," explained the Styrian.