GAK meets Hartberg

Poms against Schmid? Not a duel like any other

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Hartberg coach Manfred Schmid will go into his first Oberhaus derby against Rene Poms in Graz on Sunday with slightly mixed feelings. Because he doesn't have the best memories of the new GAK coach. The "red commander" remembers the last meeting with a smile.

Partly due to a difficult draw, Hartberg have now been waiting for a win for five rounds, and a three-pointer at the end of the fall would be exactly to Schmid's taste. Especially as he has a score to settle with Rene Poms. "I can't remember it," winked Hartberg's coach when asked about the Cup round of 16 on October 31, 2023, when he and Bundesliga side WAC lost 5:6 on penalties in Donawitz to the second-division side coached by Poms.

He knows what to expect against Poms: "He has retained the aggressive style of play at GAK, the team is very well organized. GAK now has a different style than before. There is more emphasis on defensive organization. So far he has done that very well. However, the 3:4 against the WAC after leading 3:0 was more than unfortunate. It's bitter when you let the game slip out of your hands like that, especially when you get an own goal like that. But you could see what they are capable of. They've stabilized under Poms, are solid, aggressive and good. We have to deliver one hundred percent."

Manfred Schmid

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Schmid was followed by Poms
"Matches like this stay positive memories," says GAK coach René Poms, thinking back to the last - and only - "meeting" with Manfred Schmid. "We don't have many other points of contact. But I know him. When he and Peter Stöger left Austria, I came in as assistant coach with Nenad Bjelica as his successor." The 49-year-old naturally knows how his counterpart will play the game. "He tries to be compact with his teams. With a middle ground of ball possession and fast, straightforward forward play. And he is variable in his system. But I prefer to focus on myself and my team anyway."

Recently, however, the GAK - and Michael Lang in particular - have made rather curious headlines. Keyword: 3:4 after 3:0. Of course, Schmid also saw the curious own goal by GAK man Lang: "I don't know what happened there, his body position was not good. I'm sure he blames himself the most. Very bitter for him, you wouldn't wish that on any player. But it must be clear to everyone that he didn't do it on purpose, he has to think ahead quickly now. You have to reinstate a player like that as quickly as possible, because he has performed well. Taking him out would send the wrong message."

The convalescing Justin Omoregie would be a help.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Squad update
With Benjamin Markus and Fabian Wilfinger suspended, Schmid is considering the use of two convalescent secret weapons: "Prokop has been absent recently with adductor problems. The possibility of a comeback exists, but is not certain. And Omoregie is training with the physiotherapists after a thigh injury, but he is not running more than 25 km/h. We know how important these players are for Hartberg, but we won't take any risks." Havel will not be available again until the start of training.

However, some GAK players will not be spared the role of spectators: Captain Marco Perchtold is suspended after his exclusion against WAC, as is defensive boss Petar Filipovic. In addition, defender Lukas Graf and midfield engine Thorsten Schriebl are two injured players.