Conference League Qualification: Austria Wien Will Push to Their Limits Against Banik Ostrava

"These are games where everything is possible for us, but where we have to push ourselves to our limits," said Austria Wien coach Stephan Helm before the game in the 3rd qualifying round of the Conference League against Banik Ostrava on Thursday (6:30 PM/live ORF 1).

Austria Wien Coach Helm: Banik Ostrava "a physical and compact team"

The coach of Banik is Pavel Hapal, and the start of the season did not go as desired for the team of the Czech ex-international. In the Europa League qualification, Ostrava narrowly lost to Legia Warsaw with 3:4, which led them to drop one level in the European Cup. In the championship, they started with a defeat and a draw. Helm noted "partly very strong individual quality as well as a very solid collective" in the opponent. "It is a physical and compact team."

From the collective, Helm highlighted the "number ten" Matej Sin (21), who debuted in the national team in March, as well as the Slovak Tomas Rigo (23), who played in the U21 European Championship in the summer and has already completed five international matches with the "seniors." "These are players who are very interesting in the market," explained the Austria coach. Nevertheless, Banik must be posed with problems, with the goal being the best possible starting position for the return leg in a week. If they advance, the opponent in the play-off will be either Lugano or Celje.

Austria Wien in Search of More Efficiency

The Violets had little trouble with Spaeri Tiflis at the start of the European Cup (7:0 overall), but things did not go as desired nationally. In the Cup, they were eliminated by Voitsberg (2:3), followed by a 2:2 draw at GAK in the league opener. "You can make life easier for yourself," said Helm in view of the five goals conceded in these two matches.

However, the 42-year-old was not dissatisfied with the performance in Graz. "In all phases of the game, it was clear what kind of game we want to bring to the field. We always put the opponents under pressure early and spend a lot of time in the opponent's penalty area with the ball. But games are decided by individual actions. There are always details that you can do even better," explained Helm, referring to efficiency both in attack and defense. "We know there is more potential. And we want to show that in the upcoming games."

Whether new striker Johannes Eggestein will make his starting debut in Ostrava, the coach did not want to reveal yet. "There are considerations, but one must not forget, he has only been with us for two weeks." Also traveling to the Czech Republic is Lee Tae-seok, who was signed last week. "He is traveling with us because we want to integrate him into the team and because he should already be part of the training tomorrow," explained Helm. His first impression of the South Korean left-back: "He has a killer shot. It's amazing how hard he can shoot."

(APA/Red)

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