Football: Coaches See Good Chances for Austria

In an APA survey, some of the coaches did not want to name any favorites, while others did - and the name Austria Vienna was mentioned quite often. Defending champion Sturm Graz and former series champion Red Bull Salzburg are also considered strong contenders, with even WAC and Rapid being given chances.

Austria coach Stephan Helm was reserved on this topic and merely stated: "I won't give a championship tip, but the favorite roles in Austria are clear anyway. For the attractiveness of the league, it is certainly a great season. We, Rapid, and also WAC are providing excitement in the league."

Helm's Sturm colleague Jürgen Säumel hopes for a successful title defense. "It will be a fiercely contested championship group, but I am convinced of the quality of our team and believe that we will be ahead in the end," explained the former national player.

Letsch: Sturm and Austria "not in front for nothing"

Sturm starts as the leader ahead of Austria, who are level on points, in the championship group, with third-placed Salzburg four points behind. Nevertheless, coach Thomas Letsch still believes in a Salzburg entry on the championship plate. "The championship is probably more exciting this year than ever before, because theoretically all six teams in the championship group can still win the title, as they are all very close in points. For us, it is important that we are still right in the middle," said the German. However, the top championship candidates are others. "If you look at the table, you can see that Sturm and Austria are the favorites. Both are not in front for nothing."

WAC coach Dietmar Kühbauer also believes that Austria and Sturm will decide the title among themselves. At the same time, the Burgenlander sees "realistic chances" for Salzburg and Rapid, who are six points behind the leaders, due to the point division. Their coach Robert Klauß said about the title race: "There is no clear favorite this year, all teams are very close together."

Gerald Scheiblehner from Blau-Weiß Linz currently sees Austria with the best cards, and Hartberg's Manfred Schmid also considers a title win for his former club to be quite realistic. The Violets make "a very stable impression" for Schmid. "That could make the difference. But of course, Sturm Graz also has enough class to do it again. These two teams are the favorites for me."

Ingolitsch Sees Great Opportunity for Austria

According to Altach coach Fabio Ingolitsch, Austria has a great opportunity, "as both Salzburg and Sturm are faltering." Austria Klagenfurt's Peter Pacult and WSG-Tirol's coach Philipp Semlic did not give any tips, but LASK coach Markus Schopp and GAK sports director Dieter Elsneg committed to Salzburg. The latter stated: "A few weeks ago, I would have predicted differently, but now I feel that they are on the rise. This was also evident in the direct duels with Sturm Graz and Austria."

The "Bulls" were champions from 2014 to 2023 without interruption, before the series broke last year - an unsurprising development for Letsch. "That after such a long phase of success, times can come when things don't go as well, is quite normal in football. This is also the case in other countries and leagues." Kühbauer is pleased with the new balance in the league but believes in a soon return of Salzburg to their former strength. "I do believe that they will take the right steps to reconnect with the dominance of the past - whether this will succeed in the usual form remains to be seen."

According to Schopp, Salzburg has not shown "a glaring superiority for several seasons now, as the race for the championship title has been very close and tight in recent years." Pacult sees the competition challenged to keep the gap to Salzburg as small as possible. According to Ingolitsch, the responsibility lies with the former serial champion itself. "Salzburg has by far the best conditions, the greatest talent, and know-how. If they find their identity again, which has made them so strong for years, then no one will be able to stop them in the future."

Schmid and Semlic Believe in Imminent Salzburg Dominance

Schmid and Semlic have practically no doubts about Salzburg's comeback. "The resources are still large, the budget is huge, and now they are also getting the windfall from participating in the Club World Cup. It's only a matter of time before they completely dominate the league again," said Schmid, and Semlic added: "Salzburg is still Salzburg, and with the possibilities they have, they will definitely get back to where they once were."

However, Scheiblehner predicts difficult times for Salzburg. "The Austrian Bundesliga is a strong league, so I do not assume that a similar dominance from them is possible in the coming years," explained the Upper Austrian.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.