Wiener Derby: Austria Wien aims to score full points against Rapid Wien without fan support

While Wiener Austria aims for three points in the football Bundesliga title race on Sunday at 5:00 PM in Hütteldorf, despite the lack of support from their fans, Rapid Vienna wants to improve their performance in the championship group after recent weak performances in the football Bundesliga, following a successful Conference League evening in Sweden.

Vienna Derby: Dragovic Comeback Delights Wiener Austria and Surprises Rapid Vienna

This mission will be complicated by the return of Austria's defense chief Aleksandar Dragovic, whose suspension was reduced from two unconditional games to one on Friday after a referee insult following the cup semi-final against Hartberg (0:1). The league's protest committee did not provide a reason for the reduction, and Austria was positively surprised. "Drago is a player with a clean record and has hardly ever been noticed in this sense. We are, of course, happy about it," said Austria coach Stephan Helm, who emphasized that the 34-year-old was just as involved in training. The defensive stability has fortunately been demonstrated by the league's best defense with 19 goals conceded, even in games without Drago," added Helm. His counterpart Robert Klauß was puzzled by the decision. "If you look at the regulations, it's surprising. If you look at the decisions of the senate in the last one to two years, it's not surprising," said the German, who did not want to make comparisons. "In general, the decisions are sometimes hard to understand. But it doesn't change our preparation."

Rapid Vienna Motivated for Vienna Derby After Weak Phase

Ten points separate the two arch-rivals eight rounds before the end of the season. Austria is tied with league leader Sturm in second place, while Rapid has already lost sight of the top spots as fifth after two 0:2 defeats in Graz and against Salzburg at the start of the championship group. With a derby victory in front of a home crowd, the Klauß team wants to make a comeback, and the 1:0 away win on Thursday in the Conference League quarter-final first leg against Djurgårdens IF gave them confidence. "The victory was simply important for the energy we need again," said Klauß, who may have to do without the injured Lukas Grgic and Dion Beljo. However, Mamadou Sangaré, who was suspended in Sweden, returns to the starting lineup. Guido Burgstaller could also play again. The Carinthian celebrated an emotional comeback with a brief appearance in Stockholm after suffering a skull base fracture in a violent attack in December. "The derby is a completely different game again, but the victory is good for our soul and our confidence," said the 34-year-old striker about the situation.

Rapid Vienna Wants to "Settle the Score" Against Wiener Austria

After years of drought without a derby home win, Rapid won the last two encounters in the west of Vienna, and the series is to be extended on Sunday. "The derby means a lot to us, a lot to the fans," said center-back Nenad Cvetkovic. "In the table, we are far away, we are not where we wanted to be. But we want this victory, it would give us even more confidence for the return leg (against Djurgården, note)." Goalkeeper Niklas Hedl added that Green-White still has a score to settle. "The whole team wants to settle it." On Friday afternoon, the Hütteldorfers landed in Vienna, and Rapid is not afraid of the negative effects of an "English week." "We can handle it by now. We often go into Bundesliga games, and the opponent is rested. That's part of it when you've been around for so long," said Klauß. According to the 40-year-old, the fact that they could trip up the arch-rival in the title race is no extra motivation but "completely irrelevant." It's "always about us," emphasized Klauß.

Vienna Derby Again Without Away Fans

As in the most recent derby in Vienna-Favoriten, which the Violets won 2:1 two months ago, no away fans will be present after past riots. "It is certainly a special situation. On the other hand, it really gave the team a boost, ultimately the fans carried us to victory," Helm recalled. The atmosphere in Hütteldorf will be very good, said Helm, "it's a challenge." On Friday, about 20,000 tickets for the top match were sold. The preparation for the Violets went "optimally" and without injured players, as the Austria coach explained, and on Friday, besides Dragovic's return, the first-instance license approval also contributed to a good mood at the financially troubled club. After the bitter cup exit and the recent goalless draw against WAC, they want to get back on the winning track quickly. "We will also step up with confidence and have great faith in our strengths," said Helm. His team will act proactively, appear brave, and deliver a "really awesome football game."

(APA/Red)

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