SKN St. Pölten faces Hajduk Split in UWCL tournament in Radenci

Tight format: Only the tournament win counts

The situation is clear: only the tournament winners advance. This means that an exit in the semifinal would end SKN St. Pölten's European adventure. The pressure is therefore high, but so is the opportunity for direct entry into the Champions League group stage.

Hajduk Split is a less well-known name in women's football than the Croatian traditional club's men's team, but they boast a strong squad. SKN St. Pölten will have to rely on a compact defense and quick transitions to counter the technical quality of the Croatian players.

Hajduk Split as the first benchmark

Alongside the action in Radenci, preparations for the upcoming Bundesliga season are underway. Jennifer Klein and Laurent Fassotte are among the key players in the squad, on whose consistency Kenesei is counting in the tournament's hot phase. The dual burden of league and European competition requires a broad rotation.

In the domestic league, Austria Wien is the designated benchmark against which SKN St. Pölten must measure itself. The comparison with the reigning champion team from Vienna-Favoriten serves as a yardstick for the club's own development. Should the leap into the Champions League succeed, it would also be a strong signal in the domestic Austrian comparison.

Look at the domestic league

Historically, the leap onto the European stage has been rare for Austrian clubs. In recent years, individual teams have made it through qualifying, but have frequently failed at the third-round hurdle. Should SKN St. Pölten win the tournament in Radenci, a significantly tougher opponent would await in the third round – potential candidates such as Seasters Odessa, Sporting Lisbon, or Real Madrid stand as examples for the quality of that stage.

In the SKN St. Pölten camp, the match against Hajduk is approached soberly. The team takes to the pitch with the same focus as it would for a weekend league match. According to their own statement, the coaching staff deliberately avoided loud announcements before the game so as not to put the players under additional pressure.