Austria is coming!

Double burden? Linz doesn’t believe “fairy-tale uncle”!

Thomas Goiginger also makes Blau-Weiß Linz better.(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Avni Retkoceri)

Although Austria coach Stephan Helm has indicated the opposite after the Vienna Violets' European Cup "belly-spot" against Ilves Tampere: Blau-Weiß Linz are not expecting a physically weak opponent on Sunday afternoon from 5pm . . 

If it was a fairytale, it was a very, very bad one. But it would still have been much, much better than if Stephan Helm's surprising performance had not been one

The neo-Austria coach had explained the embarrassing European Cup defeat to Ilves Tampere on Wednesday with the "double burden". With the first match of the season the Thursday before in Finland and the second the following Sunday in the ÖFB Cup in Saalfelden

An incredible explanation for a professional team!

But it is also interesting for the Blue & Whites with regard to their approach against Austria in Sunday's game in the sold-out Hofmann-Personal-Stadion.

Cramps always possible 
Is it possible to tire out a fearful opponent against whom they only picked up one point out of a possible twelve last season? It is undisputed: In the extra time of Wednesday's game, the Viennese were also conspicuous by cramps.

The word 'double trouble' is out of place.

FC-Blau-Weiß-Trainer Gerald Scheiblehner

"They can always occur, maybe some players didn't drink enough on this hot day," believes BW Linz coach Gerald Scheiblehner. However, he emphasizes: "The word 'double stress' is out of place!"

Scheiblehner's assumption
His assumption regarding Helm's strange TV interview: "Maybe he made a statement in the heat of the moment shortly after the result, which was anything but desirable for Austria, that he wouldn't have made ten minutes later."

Vienna's Austria were disgracefully eliminated in the Conference League qualifiers against the Finns from Tampere.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The fact is: Scheiblehner doesn't believe Austria's "fairy-tale uncle" - he says: "I don't think Austria has any fitness problems." "We still know what we have to do," says captain Manuel Maranda, referring to last season's miniscule haul. "Despite that, we have a very good feeling," says Scheiblehner, who attributes this to the additions of Moormann, Anderson, Goiginger and Co. In short: "We have more quality than last season!"