Vienna Austria aims to secure entry into the first ÖFB Cup final in a decade against Hartberg

Before the semi-final on Wednesday evening at 8:30 PM at the home ground of Vienna Austria, the roles are clearly distributed. The Violets are still riding a wave of success, while the spring season for the East Styrians is considered mixed. Additionally, Hartberg is struggling with a long dry spell in Vienna-Favoriten. Nevertheless, the underdog sees their chances as existent.

Vienna Austria with Confidence after Climbing to the Top of the Bundesliga Table

Vienna Austria has celebrated 15 victories in the 17 competitive matches since the beginning of October. Only Red Bull Salzburg (1:0) and Sturm Graz (2:2) managed to score against Dominik Fitz and Co. With the leap to the top of the table at the start of the championship group, the Viennese gained additional confidence. The next step is to book tickets for the trip to Klagenfurt. "It's about the final, that's where we want to go," said Reinhold Ranftl.

On paper, Hartberg was the easiest opponent in the semi-final, which also includes LASK and WAC. Vienna Austria is also allowed to host a home game in the cup again after a year and a half. Over 13,600 tickets were sold by Tuesday noon. The record winner has claimed the title 27 times, but no Austrian has lifted the trophy since 2009. The Violets last reached the final in 2015, when they suffered a 0:2 defeat after extra time against Salzburg. The longing for the trip to Wörthersee is great among fans and the club.

"It's nice that we can let many people around us dream a little, but we keep our focus on the most important thing - and that is playing football," said Stephan Helm. The Austria coach can rely on all regular players except for Hakim Guenouche (heel), with Mirko Kos starting in goal again. In front of Kos, Austria can field the best defense in the league, led by Aleksandar Dragovic, and the offense around Fitz is also convincing. Dragovic demanded full concentration from his team. "Hartberg will not come to Vienna and give us the victory, they want to reach the final just as much. It will not be an easy game, it will be hard work from the first to the last second," emphasized the 34-year-old.

Hartberg Hopes for Something Historic against Vienna Austria

Hartberg is attempting a semi-final in the cup for the fourth time, but TSV has not won any yet. Something historic is at stake. In the role of the underdog, Hartberg wants to be an equal opponent. "Austria is the clear favorite, they also have the stadium behind them. We need a very good game, maybe the game of the year. But the senses are sharpened," said coach Manfred Schmid. The starting position alone "does not mean that we cannot win."

In the Generali Arena, the Styrians were already on the pitch in the quarter-finals. Against second division team Stripfing, the Bundesliga team won 2:0 only after much anxiety in extra time. In 2025, there was only a 2:1 home victory against Rapid to celebrate. Three draws and three defeats are also on record. Last weekend, they suffered a 2:3 defeat against Klagenfurt. The fight for class retention at least takes a back seat on Wednesday.

Schmid - himself a two-time cup winner with Austria as a player - recalled the most recent duel. At the end of November, Austria narrowly won 1:0 thanks to a header goal by Tin Plavotic after a corner. For the Blue-Whites, a losing streak continued: In the past twelve encounters, they suffered ten defeats. One victory and one draw were achieved at home. Schmid now identified a special motivation for his team: "With one game, you can reach a final. It doesn't happen often that you experience that."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.