“We take the game and the opponent extremely seriously,” promised SKN coach Liese Brancao, whose team is about to win their seventh cup. St. Pölten has won each of the six finals since 2015, and this time the Lower Austrians are the big favorites. But the Brazilian expects a tight game. “I think this final could be the most interesting offensive final in recent years,” said Brancao.
Because in the Planet Pure Women’s Bundesliga it was just Altach/Vorderland that brought the flawless leaders (goal difference after 13 rounds 77:8) as the only team to the brink of losing points this season. On October 23, 2022, Altach only conceded the decisive 2: 3 in injury time in front of a home crowd. “That opened our eyes to the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to survive against St. Pölten,” said Horvat.
St. Pölten favorite in the cup final
In the final against Altach/Vorderland, defending champion St. Pölten is going for the ninth cup title in a row
“It will be a very difficult task”
At that time, the “Ländle” team Vorderland, which is playing its best season since promotion in 2017 and entered the syndicate with Altach in summer 2021, probably also benefited from the travel strains of the opponents. They had played their Champions League game at VfL Wolfsburg just three days before. That was by no means a disadvantage, Altach coach Bernhard Summer recalled. “It will be a very difficult task. But we’re not going to Wiener Neustadt for a trip,” emphasized the 54-year-old.
For Horvath, Altach, which is third in the league after 13 rounds, is still “a clear underdog. What we have achieved so far is historic, for many we have already managed to surprise them. The cup would be a huge sensation for us. It’s less pressure than joy to be able to annoy the big one,” said the 25-year-old. It is incredibly difficult to survive against St. Pölten.
“Nevertheless, we know that we have quality in the team and that our team is characterized by the fact that everyone gets along incredibly well with everyone and marches for the others,” said the Altach defender. The 18-0 record victory in the league against Altenmarkt last Sunday should have provided additional motivation – more on that in vorarlberg.ORF.at.
St. Pölten is aware of being a favourite
SKN rival Jasmin Eder is aware of the role of favourite: “We have a good mix of players who already know the situation of playing a final and young players who are extremely hot for this final. We’ll have to do everything we can to be able to lift the trophy back up in the end,” said the St. Pölten captain. According to the ÖFB, around 300 tickets for the game were sold on Thursday, and the local association is hoping for a high three-digit or low four-digit number of spectators on Monday.