Bundesliga: LASK rivalry – Rapid is experiencing another explosion

But seeing his old love again is secondary to Kühbauer in the first game. “LASK plays against Rapid, not Didi Kühbauer against Rapid,” the 51-year-old confirmed before the duel between the two undefeated teams with the same number of points. “It’s a huge sensation for me. The players have to be up front, and that’s even more important to me.” After four rounds, the first match winner can look forward to a top spot and a perfect start to the season.

“It’s going to be a tight match, and probably emotions involved,” Kohbauer said. An upcoming team “also has big plans this year”. “Of course we want to be on top after this match,” the coach added, “the little things will be decisive.” “I suppose Rapid will be strong, we also have the qualities.” The two contenders are competing for the 160th time in a competitive game, and the all-sold-out Paschinger Arena will make a splash.

The focus is on LASK striker Marin Ljubicic, who has surpassed Erling Haaland’s tally by six goals in his first three league games. Does the 20-year-old Croat need to slow down because of the noise around him? “There is no reason for that. He is very focused,” Kohbauer joked. “Right in the morning he received two pages, and then of course he narrated it.”

“I’m not afraid of anyone”

In the past, Rapid has become more and more a fearsome opponent for Linz, among the last nine duels in green and white he has won seven times under coach Kohbauer, and there have been two draws. “I am not afraid of anyone. Most importantly, the boys are not afraid. Fear is the worst adviser in life,” Kohbauer said. “The matches were always close together. “We must make sure that we swing the pendulum to our side,” said Thomas Goeginger.

After extra time on Thursday, when Hütteldorfer secured his place in the Conference League qualifiers 2-0 against Neftci Baku, the Rapidlers want to rely on their team once again. “We’re doing really well in the rotation at the moment, despite the triple burden, we’ve had almost no injuries, it wasn’t always like that,” coach Ferdinand Feldhofer said.

Kühbauer provokes Rapid . leadership

The additional shift should not have a negative effect on a match that has run out of offer in Pasching. “We never had problems in the league we weren’t new enough. Basically, we always want to play intensely, even on Sunday,” Feldhofer announced. It’s easier with a sense of accomplishment behind you. In the European Cup, rising champion Ferdi Drugov, who settled the rise in the 112, Yusef Demir and Roman Kirschbaum, returned, so Feldhofer can look forward to more options for short assignments.

Kohbauer noted this, too. “They have more players, and unfortunately that was not the case in my time. I like that they noticed then that you need a big squad when you have a double or triple burden. They figured out, who had to go as Rapid coach in the fall of 2021 and was replaced by Wildhofer,” said the coach. It’s now, it has taken longer.

In the meantime, he didn’t mind handing over the role of favorite LASK, who has been in a good mood so far. “LASK could be the favourite, but our goal is still to go out there and then top the table.” The decisive factor could again be Drogev, who can play without pain again after bruising his bones thanks to a bandage. “I hope I can help the team again,” said the Dutchman.

Salzburg warned of WAC

Champion Salzburg hosts WAC at the same time on Sunday. Salzburg suffered their last home defeat in the league so far against Carinthians (2: 3/20 December 2020). In the previous year, the league remained clean with four wins (12:1 goals). But in the Cup, Robin Dutt’s team knew how to take on the favorites in penalty shootouts. Geisel also mentioned this on Friday.

“We know from our own experience how annoying the opponent is. We assume they have a great team and they are playing very well,” said the German, who recovered from tonsillitis. Lucas Journa Duat, who signed for 15 million euros from Saint-Etienne, completed part of the first team training “Then hopefully next week he will be ready for the full team session,” Gisley said on Friday after sustaining an ankle injury. “We will build it very carefully.”

Wydad, who escaped embarrassment with a 4-0 victory in Malta on Al Jazira on Tuesday, entered the match with completely different pressures. “It’s always the same against Salzburg. You need your best day and Salzburg doesn’t need your best – then you have a chance,” Dutt said. The German confirmed that Salzburg has not lost any of its dominance.

BL Lustenau – Hartberg premiere

Meanwhile, TSV Hartberg is welcomed by Austria Lustenau. With the confidence they have gained and their fans behind them, Lustenau want to get the next three points in their court. “Our goal is to win at home,” coach Marcos Mader confirmed. The starting position has changed drastically compared to the quick guest appearance (1:1), with Lustenau facing off as a minor favourite due to a successful start to the season. Mader still expects a tough fight: “It’s going to be another tough match, much tougher than last week.” The Furlbergers are currently sixth in the table with four points.

While preparing for the duel with the Styrenes, one or another question mark appeared. “Hartberg is a catch bag. They’ve played with different systems in the last three games,” Mader said. So he doesn’t know exactly what to expect from his team, but the main focus is on his game anyway. In the second home game of the season, the coach can Rely on just about everything.Except for the long-injured Daniel Tiefenbach and Adriel, all guys are in good physical shape.

Austria Lustenau and Hartburg meet for the first time in the Austrian First Division. Hartberg is currently ninth in the table with three points. However, coach Klaus Schmidt was able to take positives from Styrians’ performance against Salzburg: “We sold hard for 50 minutes, defended well and with a little luck we could have scored a goal.” The coach stressed that the difference in level was noticeable, praising the opponent: “Lustenau gave refreshing performances, especially last week in Rapid. They have a certain category in their ranks.”