Dornbirn vs. Höchst

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The Dornbirn team (in blue) will host their local rivals from Höchst.(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

Four derbies are on the program this weekend in the Ländle, and fans can look forward to exciting treats in four different sports. The women's volleyball teams from Dornbirn and Höchst kick things off on Saturday.

In soccer, the ladies from SPG Lustenau/Dornbirn will battle for supremacy in the women's national league with Altach on Sunday. Late on Saturday evening, the handball heroes from Bregenz and Hard will clash in the HLA Champions League in the eternal duel between the great rivals. In the third ice hockey league, Hohenems invites Lustenau onto the ice on Saturday afternoon.

And the women of VC Dornbirn and VC Höchst kick off the second volleyball league with a derby early on Saturday afternoon (13:30). While both clubs played a brilliant season last year, the new season has not yet gone optimally for the Ländle women. Höchst, who made it to the relegation round of the first Bundesliga last year, are currently in fifth place. The women from Messestadt finished the championship round in second place last season and are now in eighth place.

Many worries
This is mainly due to the fact that both teams have had to contend with many injuries. "We just can't get any rest. We have to change every game, it's difficult to get into a routine like that," laments Dornbirn's Veronika de Oliveira, "we've lost seven times and only won one game. It's not easy to have the right mindset."

But perhaps the derby will come at just the right time to light a new fire. Even if the situation is anything but rosy for the Messestadt team at the moment. "We're highly motivated," de Oliveira clarifies, "we've had great training sessions and the atmosphere has loosened up a bit."