Both teams are 14 points behind at the bottom of the table, the gap to WSG Tirol is six points. For Altach coach Klaus Schmidt, the starting position is clear: “It’s going to be a scuffle. The team that wins has 100 percent better cards.”
The Schmidt-Elf recently disappointed in a 0-1 draw against Hartberg in front of their home crowd, while Rieder missed their first win with a 1-1 draw at WSG Tirol in the seventh qualifying group game. Recently there were five draws in a row for Maximilian Senft’s team. According to the club, the Josko Arena will be sold out on Friday evening.
Ried under pressure before duel against Altach
In the Bundesliga there will be a direct relegation duel between Ried and Altach on Friday. The Upper Austrians are under even more pressure because they would have been classified behind Altach if they had equal points at the end of the season.
“Everyone knows what it’s about”
“Everyone who sees the table knows what it’s about,” stressed Ried kicker Marcel Ziegl. “The latest results show that we are difficult to bend. But we finally have to manage to win.” Senft spoke of the fact that “the blows from the back of the neck in the last few games” have made his team “felt even tougher and more resilient”.
The fight to stay up has turned into a duel. “The pressure is on two, which makes it all the more dynamic and interesting,” emphasized Schmidt, whose team has been waiting for a win for six games.
Qualifying group, 30th round
Start 7.30 p.m.:
Ried – Joint
Ried, if Arena, SR Lechner
Possible lineups:
Ried: Sahin-Radlinger – Ziegl, Plavotic, Ungar – Lutovac, Martin, Madritsch, Mikic – Lang, Chabbi, Beganovic
Altach: Casali – Jan Jurcec, Strauss, L. Gugganig, Herald – Hunter, Zwischenbrugger, Haudum – Bishop, Nuhiu, Balic
Schmidt has a good feeling
Nobody accepted the role of favourite. “We scored six points in the qualifying group, Ried five. The team that comes out better in the first quarter of an hour is to be favoured,” said Schmidt. Each of his players must be himself and win his personal duel. However, the trainer also emphasized: “If we don’t have a broken tibia tomorrow and two open fractures of the fibula, I’ll go to Ried with a great feeling.”
Senft was also confident and counted on the support of the home fans. “We want to take the stadium with us with our passion and win the first of our three finals together,” explained the 33-year-old.
No winner in the “first leg”
The first duel in the “lower play-off” ended almost a month ago in the Ländle with 1:1. “The people of Altach will certainly not be bursting with self-confidence. But they have the same starting position and will throw everything into the balance,” Ziegl knew. The Upper Austrians want to crown an anniversary with a win on Friday. Exactly 25 years ago, Rieder celebrated their first major success in the club’s history by winning the cup.