In the relegation battle, the Hartbergers are fourth in the qualifying group with twelve points, one point ahead of Altach and two ahead of bottom Guntamatic Ried. Given the situation in the table, Schmidt didn’t want to dwell on sentimentality.
“It’s all about us as SCR Altach staying up in the league. In that respect, the game in Hartberg is obviously one in which we want to score,” said Schmidt. In order to reduce the exertion before the important game, the Vorarlbergers traveled by plane on Friday for the first time in a long time. After the game, however, the team bus takes you back to the “Ländle”.
Qualifying group, 25th round
Start 5 p.m.:
Hartberg – Altach
Possible lineups:
Hartberg, Profertil Arena, SR Hot
Hartberg: Sallinger – Kainz, Rotter, Sonnleitner, Pfeifer – Heil, Diakite – Frieser, Fadinger, Avdijaj – Providence
Altach: Casali – Thurnwald, Strauss, L. Gugganig, Edokpolor – Aigner, Jäger – Bishop, Tartarotti, Ja. Jurcec – Nuhiu
Zwischenbrugger back in the Altach squad
Compared to the derby in Lustenau a week ago, which Altach lost 1-0, Schmidt can again rely on central defender Felix Strauss in Hartberg, who is back after his suspension. Jan Zwischenbrugger is back in the squad after a long injury break. “As a guy and as a player, Jan is someone who can still be very important this season,” said the coach.
However, offensive power Mike-Steven Bähre is still missing, who will probably be out for a longer time due to a muscle injury in his lower leg. Schmidt was calm about the fact that he knew the Hartberg team well and they knew him the other way around. “I think it balances out. There will be no surprises.”
Schopp praises his predecessor Schmidt
Markus Schopp, who has been in charge in Hartberg since December, found words of praise for his predecessor. “I appreciate Klaus Schmidt very much. Over the years, he has proven everywhere, no matter where he has worked, that he can find very good solutions to make clubs stable.” Schopp also did not want to overestimate the explosive nature of the coaching issue. “It’s the guys who get their jobs on the field and, if possible, win from Hartberg’s point of view – and not against Klaus Schmidt, but against Altach.”
Just like Schmidt, Schopp took over his team at the bottom and led them away from there for the time being. Under Schopp there have been three wins and one draw with four defeats so far this spring. “A lot has happened, but we’re still a long way from where we want to be. We still have a lot ahead of us, but we’ve already worked through a lot and we’re proud of that,” said the 49-year-old, who has plenty of staff to draw from.
Qualifying group, 25th round
Start 5 p.m.:
Lustenau-WAC
Possible lineups:
Lustenau, Reichshof Stadium, SR Ebner
Lustenau: Schierl – Adriel, Hugonet, Grujcic – Gmeiner, Surdanovic, Grabher, Tiefenbach, Guenouche – Motika, Fridrikas
WAC: Bonmann – Jasic, Oermann, Bukusu, Anzolin – Kerschbaumer, Omic, Taferner – Röcher, Baribo, Malone
Lustenau wants fifth win in a row
Meanwhile, the second Vorarlberg club in the Bundesliga is in a record mood. Promoted Lustenau has won the last four games in the Bundesliga – a first in the club’s history. This series should continue in the home game against WAC. “We will do everything to keep the points in Lustenau,” said coach Markus Mader, whose team is currently at the top of the qualifying group.
The Vorarlbergers have won four of their last five home games, most recently there was a 1-0 win against Altach. It was the third derby win this season. In addition, no other team in the league can currently point to such a long winning streak as the Mader squad.
This should now be expanded against the Carinthians. “They have a good team with a lot of individual quality,” said Mader, referring to players like Tai Baribo and Maurice Malone. “But the season so far has shown that they don’t always bring their qualities to the pitch. Performance fluctuates, so they are where they are.”
WAC still in difficult situation
The difficult season of the WAC, which is six points behind the Vorarlbergers in third place in the table and four points ahead of the relegation zone, has recently continued under the new coach Manfred Schmid. In his first three games, the 52-year-old managed to stabilize the Carinthian defense. In the last round, however, the WAC went swimming at the WSG Tirol with 0:4.
“This must not happen again. It’s also a matter of the head. This week we tried to show the players how they should react in such situations, for example if they fall behind early on,” says Schmid, who has captain Mario Leitgeb on board again. Schmid demands passion and fighting spirit from his team. “It’s a very difficult away game against an opponent who is strong at home and who are also in very good shape. We have to counteract that from the start in order to be able to score.”