Lustenau climbed into the derby as No. 1 for Vorarlberg – Austria Lustenau –

On Saturday, the Vorarlberg derby will take place in the Austrian Bundesliga for the first time in 22 years. SCR Altach welcomes Austria Lustenau to a full house for the number one duel in the country. This duel is a special event for both teams, but also for Vorarlberg football.

CAUTION: Visitors should use public transportation if possible. Parking spaces are limited and very wet!

“I’m really looking forward to this match and the fans and to seeing the stadium full here,” Altaş coach Miroslav Klose said in the run-up to the derby. With his fans behind him, he wants to appear brave with his team: “We play at home and try, derby or not, to impose our game on the opponent. At home we have shown a strong performance so far”. Klose also anticipates an emotionally charged game in which the little things are crucial.

Last week, Altach suffered a 4-0 defeat at the Sturm runner-up. The team has earned four points from its first four matches and is currently eighth in the standings. Captain Jan Zwischenbruger is aware of the starting position before the derby: “The season has not been satisfactory so far, tomorrow we want to increase our points balance.” His team knows what the neighborhood duel is all about. “Everyone is very excited. These are the matches you live for as a footballer,” said the 32-year-old defender.

Klose praised the opponent at the start of the season, was aware of Lustenau’s strengths and showed them to his team. The coach should release Felix Strauss (ankle) and suspend Dominic Reiter. Amir Abdejanovic is still waiting for the results of an MRI (knee).

Altaş and Austria Lustenau last faced each other in a competitive match in May 2014 in the second division. Lustenau won the duel 5-0 and thus celebrated his highest win against Altach to date. Vorarlberg’s only previous matches in the Austrian Football League took place in the 1999/2000 season. At that time, Lustenau competed four times with the Black and White Brigands.

Lustenau enters the derby with a lot of self-confidence. Last week, Austria achieved their second win of the season against Hartberg and are currently fourth in the standings. According to coach Markus Mader, there will be no candidates in the next match, but he stressed: “The pressure is definitely on Altaş, they have occupied the first place in Vorarlberg for years.”

On Saturday, Lustenau’s coach was expecting a strong opponent who developed a clear playing idea under Klose: “They try to play a lot from the back, build patiently and then use their player Nuhiu goal from the wings. The development in the game is clearly visible.”

For Pius Graber, born in Vorarlberg, the derby is of course “something special” and is of great importance. “You cannot completely ignore the importance of preparation. This was a huge task.” Anticipation for the match is great, but you don’t want to lose focus, the midfielder explained: “The training week is over as usual. We’re keeping the ball low.”

The condition of the staff at Lustenau is just as satisfactory as the recent results. All players are available for Mader on Saturday. So the coach is spoiled for choice, but there shouldn’t be many reasons to change compared to the previous week.

Altach: Casali – Thurnwald, Zwischenbrugger, Gugganig, Edokpolor – Hunter, Haudum – Amankwah, Tibidi, Schreiner – Nuhiu

Lustenau: Schierl – Gmeiner, Maak, Hugonet, Guenouche – Rhine, Grabher – Anderson, Surdanovic, Teixeira – Schmid