Follow-up in the Bundesliga: Wolfsberger AC meets Austria Lustenau in the European Cup play-off semifinals. The game starts at 7 p.m., we report live (see ticker below).
Here’s the live ticker: regular players before the jump On Monday, WAC and Austria Lustenau will determine in the European Cup play-off semifinals in Wolfsberg who will challenge Wiener Austria in the fight for an international starting place. Despite a strong season, the newcomer from Vorarlberg does not travel to the Lavanttal untroubled: Regular player Hakim Guenouche was dropped from the squad because he was absent from the final training session in Vienna on Sunday due to contract negotiations and signed a contract with the new club,” coach Markus Mader was a little annoyed about the 23-year-old Frenchman in the APA interview. “I think it’s unprofessional how he and his advisor have approached it now,” said the 55-year-old coach, who would have liked “a little more honesty”. The new club is apparently Austria from the federal capital, which would give additional fuel to a possible duel in the play-off final. Lustenau’s sports coordinator Alexander Schneider was also disappointed and spoke of Guenouche “totally letting his team down”. “In addition, we find it absolutely unfortunate and incomprehensible that such a process is accepted four days before a possible direct duel by the potentially accepting club and without prior contact – in which it is verified whether training has been approved -” said Schneider also greetings from favorites. But Mader emphasized, “We’re not dependent on one player now, we have a good collective.” Guenouche, with whom the Vorarlbergers would have liked to extend, will no longer appear in the Lustenau jersey. Arrival by plane But there were also good ones News: In order to save themselves the strain of a long bus ride, the people of Vorarlberg travel from Friedrichshafen to Klagenfurt by plane. According to the coach, the club, a few patrons and a hand in the team coffers make it possible. The Lustenauer are highly motivated, after all, there was a 5-1 sense of achievement against Hartberg. “We have a huge opportunity to achieve something that no one thought we could do before the season. It’s a bonus for what we’ve done so far,” said Mader, who declared WAC the slight favourite. “We’re not without a chance. But we need a top day.” For the Carinthians, a season that, in contrast to that of the promoted team, did not go according to plan, could still end well. However, WAC coach Manfred Schmid does not see his team as favourites. “It’s a completely open game for me. The odds are 50/50. It’s going to be a typical knockout game.” The fact that Wolfsberg are playing the game at home doesn’t necessarily have to be an advantage, as can be seen from the season record against Lustenau. In the four duels, the guests left the field as winners three times, the only draw was three weeks ago in Lavanttal (2:2). However, in the past four seasons since the league reform, the hosts of the play-off semi-finals have been promoted three times. In addition, the WAC is currently in good form under Schmid: the “Wolves” have been unbeaten for eight games (five wins, three draws), in the last three games, “victory howls” were allowed to be intoned. “We can go into the game with a lot of self-confidence, the belief in their own strengths has long since returned to the players,” said Schmid, who has almost unlimited staff to draw from. There is only a question mark over Thorsten Röcher, who had to vomit several times during the game in Ried (1:2) on Friday and afterwards. The winner of the duel has home rights in the play-off final first leg against Wiener Austria, the The second leg will take place in Vienna next Sunday.
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