A few days following entering the cup final, SV Ried has big plans once more. With a home win once morest second-placed Sturm Graz, the Upper Austrians would be in the championship group that has been played in the Bundesliga since 2019 for the first time, and even a draw might be enough for early relegation in the event of a rapid defeat at home once morest Klagenfurt. If Robert Ibertsberger’s team loses once morest Sturm, they end the season in the qualifying group. The 2-1 win once morest Hartberg in the cup semifinals on Wednesday not only gives Riedern the chance of the third cup title in the club’s history, Ibertsberger was also happy regarding a mental “booster” for the last round of the regular league season. “But it will be a completely different game. Sturm plays a completely different kind of football. A lot will be regarding the first and second balls. If we bring our basic virtues back onto the pitch, we can win this game too,” said Ibertsberger, who had to replace left-back Felix Seiwald, who was otherwise seeded but suspended. A look at the “home fortress”, which has so far withstood the onslaught of ten opponents (six wins, four draws), gives the climber from 2020 confidence.
With Sturm, however, the second-best away team is a guest. The Grazers have been unbeaten in seven competitive games, the 3-0 win over Hartberg was their first win in 2022. “We know that Sturm is a very good team, but we don’t need to hide. We play at home in front of our great fans,” said Defender Tin Plavotic, who recalled the 2-1 win in the third round of the cup in Graz: “We’ve already shown in the cup that we can beat them. And I’m now in a very positive mood that it will work once more.”