Ex-professional Erik Regtop:

“For me, it’s the real Vorarlberg derby”

Erik Regtop (2nd from right) played in Lustenau from August 1998 to January 2000.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Erik Regtop was one of the best footballers ever to lace up his boots in the Ländle. From 1998-2002, the Dutchman first played for Austria Lustenau, then for SW Bregenz. He has a small favorite for the derby on Saturday.

"Austria Lustenau and SW Bregenz are special clubs, with a lot of tradition. And yet so different," says Erik Regtop about the two Ländle clubs, who will face each other again in a championship on Saturday for the first time in over 24 years. And the 56-year-old ex-professional should know.

Regtop first played for Austria Lustenau in the Bundesliga from 1998 to 2002, then moved to the rivals in the provincial capital in the winter of 1999. "There were 10,000 spectators in Lustenau, but it was still a village, with a very familiar party atmosphere," says Regtop, "Bregenz was different. It's a city with a lot of flair, a completely different atmosphere. For me, both clubs had a great charm."

Erik Regtop played 89 times for Bregenz in the Bundesliga, scoring 24 goals.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Always followed
Regtop is now a coach, currently at Swiss club FC Besa St. Gallen. Before that, he was coach at Dornbirner SV. He has never lost sight of his two former clubs Bregenz and Lustenau. "Both clubs have made a few mistakes in the past," says the Dutchman, "but both clubs have continued to develop. Lustenau made it back into the Bundesliga, Bregenz could do it again in the future."

Regtop is delighted that they are now meeting again in a championship after a long, long time. "It's nice that they're playing against each other again, even if it's no longer in the Bundesliga," says the gifted former footballer, who once mastered the Ajax school in Amsterdam with exceptional players such as Marco van Basten, "for me it's the real Vorarlberg derby. It was back then and it still is today."

Difficult to predict
The match on the national holiday will be a high-class one for the spectators, says Regtop. He sees slight advantages for the home side at the ImmoAgentur Stadium. "Bregenz are more stable this season and also more dangerous in attack. Lustenau have never lost, but they haven't got the hang of it yet."

Predicting the course of a derby is not really possible, Regtop continues. "In games like this, little things make the difference, right and wrong decisions on the pitch. It depends on how the players are feeling on the day. Whether they act as a unit and are determined to win. I don't want to pick a winner. My tip is a 2:2 draw."