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So much Rapid is in Austria Klagenfurt

Austria Klagenfurt coach Peter Pacult.(Bild: f. pessentheiner)

Austria Klagenfurt, who are seventh in the table, host third-placed Rapid Vienna on Sunday. However, the Carinthians have nothing to fear, having lost just one of their last six matches. And there is also a lot of "green and white" in "Violett"! Five men have a Rapid past.

Full throttle! Austria Klagenfurt go into the duel at Rapid with a lot of confidence. Midfield interceptor Tobias Koch is missing due to an adductor injury, but Chris Cvetko returns from suspension to take his place. The derby win against WAC will give them a lot of confidence and they have always sold well against Rapid in the past.

Pacult confident
In the last six encounters, there have been two wins, three draws and only one defeat (0:1 at home!). The last time they lost at Rapid was on 9 April 2023 with a 3-1 defeat. "We've always been well organized against Rapid recently and have fought well. Of course, we have to do that again. It's always difficult in Vienna, and they're on a good run this time," said coach Peter Pacult. He is one of five ex-Rapidlers at Austria.

How much green and white is really in the Klagenfurters?

• Peter Pacult. "PP" is of course cult at the record champions. As a player, he won the cup with Rapid and scored a total of 40 times in 80 competitive matches. As a coach, he worked there for five years, crowning his era with the championship title in 2008. "I had some really great years there, but that's history. My full concentration is now on Klagenfurt."

• Nicolas Binder. Played from the U7s through to the professional team in green and white. "I played seven Bundesliga games for Rapid." He scored one goal and recorded three assists. Two years ago, he was acquired by the Klagenfurt club on a permanent deal and his contract runs until the summer of 2026. "Rapid was my great love from an early age, now of course it's Klagenfurt."

• Niklas Szerencsi. Played in green and white from U6 to U14. "I grew up in Hütteldorf near the stadium and used to go to every game with my father. Niklas also attended the lower school at Rapid Gymnasium.

• Thorsten Mahrer. The Lower Austrian went through the entire Rapid youth system up to the U19s. "My dad and granddad are big Rapid fans, I grew up with them. But since I've been playing in the Bundesliga myself, I'm no longer one of their fans."

• Philipp Wydra. The midfielder grew up with the Viennese club, played there from the U9s to the U18s and was usually also a ball boy. He still belongs to the traditional club and is on loan from Austria - with an option to buy. He spent the whole of last season training with Rapid, but didn't play a single game. "I know almost the whole team, I have a few buddies there." Today, however, the friendship is on hold.

An absolute novelty
Today's match in Hütteldorf will also be an Austrian premiere! Because Rapid and Klagenfurt have agreed, referee Stefan Ebner is wearing a "ref-cam" mounted on his headset. With the camera (including microphone!), league partner "Sky" wants to provide unique TV images from the referee's point of view. But not live and of course only selected scenes, which can then be used for analysis during the break or after the match.