Rapid before the derby:

“Austria has no chance in our stadium”

Nenad Cvetkovic and his Rapid players also want to cheer today.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

In the derby, Rapid are relying on emotions, the twelfth man, sharpening their "own weapons". Seidl gets tips from his brother, thinks of a "great moment".

"Even though I said that Hütteldorf should be on fire, that doesn't mean we can drop points away from home." The 1:1 in Wolfsberg annoyed Rapids Lukas Grgic. Just like the 1:1 in Klagenfurt and the 0:3 in Linz. A poor away team, a good one at home

Robert Klauß(Bild: GEPA)

And that's all that counts today in Hütteldorf! "There's a lot to suggest that we'll play a good game," nods coach Klauß ahead of the 343rd Vienna derby. "We have a different self-image at home." Plus the memories of the 3-0 win in February, the first three-pointer against Austria after twelve winless duels. "It was already loud when we visited the pitch 90 minutes before the game. I've never experienced that before," said Matthias Seidl, who scored the 1-0 at the time, and had goosebumps. "An awesome moment."

Today, he leads Rapid as captain and smiles: "It's the game of games. I've bought lots of tickets for family and friends. Maybe I'll also get tips from my brother." Simon scored the golden goal in Blau Weiß Linz's 1-0 win over Austria in the league opener. Matthias could even follow in Schobesberger's footsteps. Because the last time Grün-Weiß won two derbies in a row, the "Pfitschipfeil" was the hero twice within four days (league and cup). That was in 2017, a long time ago.

Matthias Seidl(Bild: GEPA)

The Klauß squad now had eight days to prepare for Austria. Of course, they also practised set pieces and worked on the efficiency of Beljo and Co. with plenty of finishes. "We want to sharpen our own weapons," says Grgic, who almost doesn't care about the opponent. "If we stick to our plan, nothing should happen. It's our stadium. In the 3-0 win in the last derby, the atmosphere was already insane and the fans escalated."

"Balance is important"
Of course, Rapid is relying on the twelfth man (the Allianz Stadium has been sold out for days), the emotions. Now the green-and-white team has real Didi Kühbauer-type players in the squad again: Guido Burgstaller, Grgic and derby debutant Nenad Cvetkovic. The Serbian doesn't mince his words either: "We mustn't get carried away, balance is important. But Austria don't stand a chance in our stadium. We know what this game means to our fans." The "away weakness" doesn't matter today!