Difficult start

Boom! Things are about to get tough for Hartberg

Hartberg coach Markus Schopp (right) will face his old goalscorer Max Entrup in the season opener.(Bild: GEPA)

The new Bundesliga season kicks off with a "monster program" for Hartberg: The opening match on Saturday will be against title favourites LASK (transfer value € 43.6 million), who have snapped up former world champion Jérôme Boateng and TSV's (currently ailing) goalscorer Max Entrup. After that, Sturm, Austria and Salzburg await.

Hartberg coach Markus Schopp is aware of the mammoth task facing his new ensemble: "It's a tough opening program, we're playing against three title favourites plus Austria!"

Schopp expects a lot from his first opponent this year: "LASK have developed really well in terms of ball possession. Florian Flecker may have been injured, but they're a stable, interesting team that has gained a good player in Max (Entrup) and wants to catch up with Sturm and Salzburg this year. Their requirement profile is to significantly reduce the gap." But: "If we bring our game to the pitch and have the necessary balance, we can beat this opponent. Maybe it's good that we're playing them in the first round."

Schopp doesn't want to hear anything about an "Entrup factor": "Max was an important player for us, he wasn't at the European Championships for nothing. I'm proud that he took his chance with us, but he wasn't in Hartberg for more than twelve months - the wheel keeps turning for everyone."

New striker Patrik Mijic (center), who scored three times in the Cup, should not be measured against his predecessor Entrup.(Bild: GEPA)

The TSV coach does not want to measure his new striker hopeful Patrik Mijic against Entrup: "It's never good to follow in someone else's footsteps. Patrik will make his own mark." The fact that the Croatian scored three times in the cup gives us hope: "He has a lot of quality and is very dangerous - and if he understands our game even better, we'll have a lot of fun with him. I think he's a good move."

Great competition
Incidentally, Mateo Karamatic, Youba Diarra, Nelson Amadin and Justin Omoregie are also set to prove their worth in the home opener. Like Elias Havel, Sky Schwarz and Benjamin Markus, they will provide plenty of internal competition. Surprise man Fabian Wilfinger, the Hartberg home-grown talent who (unlike Halwachs and Fillafer) is finally fit again after a season overshadowed by injuries and has recently received a lot of playing time, will also contribute to this.