Austria visits Wiener Sport-Club in ÖFB Cup

Respect for the underdog

Sport-Club coach Daniel Seper, a close friend of Helm, announced in the KURIER interview that his team wanted to make life "das Leben so schwer wie möglich" for Austria. "Wenn die Leistung passt, könne man nach so einem Spiel aber auch bei einer Niederlage erhobenen Hauptes vom Platz gehen," said Seper. The starting position is clear: Sport-Club plays in the Regionalliga, Austria two divisions higher – and yet both sides are warning about the cup.

Already in October 2022, Austria suffered a 1:3 defeat at Sport-Club in the round of 16 of the cup, a result that has lingered in memory. The favorite's role therefore comes with particular caution this time. The fact that the new Hernals stadium is sold out adds to the intensity.

Hartberg starts in Imst

In parallel to the Viennese duel, TSV Hartberg also enters the cup action on Sunday. The East Styrians begin under coach Markus Schopp, whose third stint in charge is officially being ushered in, at third-division side SC Imst (5:00 p.m.). Schopp has a squad that he – as he himself emphasizes – wants to trust from the start: "Wenn man den Kader hat, so wie man ihn hat, muss man ihm auch das Vertrauen schenken," said the man from Burgenland.

Sportingly, Hartberg is clearly looking forward after the first competitive match appearance of this season. Schopp sees the cup as an opportunity to build confidence and is taking the task in Tyrol seriously. Austria, too, cannot afford any slip-up given the double burden of European cup and national cup.

Caution after earlier cup upset

In terms of personnel, it remains to be seen how Helm will line up his team. It is clear that the "Veilchen" must conserve energy after the Latvia match. The selection of the starting eleven is therefore awaited with excitement, especially since several players in the squad had recently been struggling with injuries or had only played briefly.

In the background, there is also an awareness of the consequences of earlier cup upsets. After four Bundesliga rounds, the "Violetten" had picked up just one point once, in addition to the exit in the Conference League qualifying against Banik Ostrava and the cup defeat in round one – a constellation that should not repeat itself. Austria is accordingly approaching the duel in Hernals with full concentration.