Bundesliga in the TICKER

LIVE from 5pm: FK Austria Wien vs TSV Hartberg

Can Aleks Dragović and Co. secure their sixth league win in a row?

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

14th round in Austria's Bundesliga: FK Austria Wien host TSV Hartberg. We report live (see below). 

Here is the LIVETICKER:

Austria are currently riding a wave of success in the Bundesliga. The "Veilchen", who have often been so battered in recent years, have recently celebrated five wins in a row and lifted themselves to third place in the table. Today, the sixth strike is to follow in the home game against Hartberg. "We have good weapons in stock to beat Hartberg. We want to build on the last few games," said defender Philipp Wiesinger.

Stephan Helm

(Bild: GEPA)

The last time Austria recorded a run of six league wins in a row was in the 2012/13 championship season. There are still no title dreams in Favoriten, but the recent development is nevertheless positive. "The players are good and stick together. They make it all possible thanks to the extremely good culture they have created here," emphasized coach Stephan Helm. However, the 41-year-old does not want to be blinded by the winning streak, as there is still room for improvement in the "Veilchen's" game. "We haven't reached the end."

Austrias favorite guest Hartberg
The two-week international break was used in Favoriten to carry out an intensive analysis in order to continue the positive process that has already begun, Helm revealed. The next step in the team's development should already be visible against favorite guest Hartberg. The Violets have won all of their last five home games against the team from Eastern Styria, but they are aware of the visitors' strengths at Verteilerkreis. "They combine very well, have good ideas, especially with the ball, and have strong dribbling players. But we are well prepared and want to take away their strengths with our approach," said Helm, whose team is still unbeaten at the Generali-Arena this season.

Manfred Schmid

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

There was good news from the personnel sector. Central defender Johannes Handl, who also extended his contract until 2028 during the week, got his first minutes after recovering from a knee injury in the test match against Traiskirchen (3:1). He should be fully fit for the game against Hartberg. With the exception of the long-term injured Ziad El Sheiwi, Helm has the entire squad at his disposal.

Positive development also in Hartberg
Hartberg also experienced a positive development under Manfred Schmid. In the first eight games under the Viennese, who was both a player and a coach at Austria, the Styrians picked up five wins and only two defeats. The Hartberg club has also made positive headlines outside of the sporting arena recently. TSV's home ground is being modernized following a multi-million grant from the state of Styria. This is necessary in order to meet the infrastructure requirements of the Bundesliga in the future.