Bundesliga in the TICKER

LIVE from 5pm: Wolfsberger AC vs Sturm Graz

WAC or Sturm Graz - which team will win the "pack derby"?

(Bild: GEPA)

18th round in Austria's Bundesliga: Wolfsberger AC host champions Sturm Graz. We report live (see below).

Here is the LIVETICKER:

Sturm Graz face a tricky away game today in the 18th round of the Bundesliga. Beyond the Pack, coach Jürgen Säumel's squad face WAC in Lavanttal. The Styrians are doubly warned. Wolfsberg won 3:1 at Rapid last week and moved up to third place. The double winners also conceded one of their two league defeats this season against the Carinthians, losing 3-0 at home in the fall.

Jürgen Säumel

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Sturm's start to the spring did not go according to plan at national level with the cup defeat and the 2:2 league loss against Vienna Austria. Three points are now up for grabs at WAC. "We're fired up for the game," explained Säumel. "We want to be aggressive and compact against the ball, keep close distances between the lines, act vertically and directly with the ball and create danger with our set-pieces."

The champions have been unbeaten in the league for eleven games (7 wins, 4 draws). Wolfsberg has also been a good place to play in the recent past, with the "Blackys" recording four wins and two draws in their last six away games. For defensive boss Gregory Wüthrich, it's clear "that it won't be an easy game for us". But they finally want to "play to nil again".

Dietmar Kühbauer

(Bild: GEPA)

WAC want to go one better - fears for Baumgartner
However, coach Dietmar Kühbauer's team has the second-best attack in the league and wants to make life difficult for the league leaders, who have the highest-scoring offense. "We want to show that we are a good team, that we can also put in a good performance against Sturm and that every player is on point," said Kühbauer. Recently, the team has done an excellent job of this, winning five competitive matches in a row.

They don't want to rest on their laurels after the success in Hütteldorf. "It was a win that did us good, but nothing more. Now the next big team is just around the corner," said the 53-year-old, for whom Graz remain the ultimate team in Austria under Säumel. "In terms of the idea, it's still the same team: very high intensity, you hardly have any room to breathe. Sturm is not in first place for no good reason."

It is uncertain whether new signing Alessandro Schöpf will be in the matchday squad. However, the former team player is not an issue for the first eleven. "It's not as if he's a starter. It could well be that he slips into the squad. But we're really happy to have him," said Kühbauer, who is worried about his captain Dominik Baumgartner in the top match. "Baumi had a fever. We'll have to see if it works out."