SKN women ahead of the CL match

Preparation session with Krankl and Polster

Krankl and Polster answered SKN's questions.

(Bild: Gerhard Weber)

Ahead of the Premier League clash against defending champions FC Barcelona, St. Pölten's women met up with former Spain legionnaires Hans Krankl and Toni Polster.

"Did you hear that, Hans? You can play Champions League in the Austria Stadium," joked Toni Polster recently in the DC Tower in Vienna in the direction of Hans Krankl.

He was referring to St. Pölten's "home game" in the top flight on November 21 in Polster's "living room", the Generali-Arena (around 5,000 tickets are gone). Ella Touon & Co. are already playing in Catalonia on Tuesday. Which is why the duo spoke to the players in the run-up to the double. "When I played there, there was no women's soccer yet. I think it's great how the whole thing has developed," said Krankl, who made a name for himself at Barça, winning the European Cup Winners' Cup and the Cup with the Spaniards. The now 71-year-old scored 45 goals in 61 games for the club. And in his debut season in 1979, he became the first Austrian to be top scorer abroad with 29 goals. "Rapid is my heart, Barcelona is my soul. Unfortunately, my time there was too short."

Krankl once made a name for himself at Barcelona.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Peter Robinson / PA / picturedesk.com)

The iconic striker was at loggerheads with coach Rifé at the time and eventually switched to green and white in 1981. Do the fans of the "Blaugrana" still recognize him today? "The young ones don't, but the older ones do. It starts in the airport cab when the driver looks in the mirror three times and then says my name." Namely Goleador! He was given this nickname by his supporters at the time. "They are proud of their heroes, they don't forget them," he enthuses about the myth of the traditional club. "Actors want to go to Hollywood, footballers want to go to Barça." Even among the women. Chiara D'Angelo: "Everyone dreams of playing there one day." On Tuesday, it will become a reality for the U20 World Cup captain. "They're the defending champions, the girls will need a good day," warns Krankl, also putting SKN on the podium. "They've been in the group stage for three years now, so they're one of Europe's top teams. That's impressive." Polster (scored six goals against Barça for Sevilla and Vallecano) agrees: "I was in the stadium for the 6:0 win over Vienna, hats off!"

Legends as role models
The Wolves' 2:3 against Man City shows that there is always hope. On Saturday, they beat Neulengbach 4-0 in the league clash. Touon: "We can learn a lot from Toni Polster and Hans Krankl, we will play courageously like they once did."