Bundesliga LIVE

Sturm defeats Ried and stays at the top

SK Sturm Graz vs. SV Ried: Who will win—or will there be a draw?(Bild: GEPA)

Round 18 in the Bundesliga: SK Sturm Graz welcomes SV Ried. We are reporting live (see below). The score is currently 1-0.

Here is the LIVE TICKER:

The performance in the ÖFB Cup caused the champions to ponder and the promoted team to euphoria. New coach Fabio Ingolitsch meets with Sturm, the man who was more than just an outsider in the race for the position. Opinions have differed in recent days as to whether the rejection came from Maximilian Senft or from the Graz team. In any case, Senft wants to carry the momentum from the cup victory against Rapid (3-0) with the sixth-placed team and continue to "fight with full commitment and determination to reach the upper playoff." However, Ried has been waiting for a win against Sturm for ten Bundesliga matches, eight of which have been won by the Styrians. Ried has gone 16 games without a win in Graz, with 13 defeats.

"We have to focus on our performance!"
Ingolitsch, who was "annoyed" after the game in Altach, wants to have worked through the cup performance with his team. "We have addressed the issues clearly and worked through them. It's important to draw conclusions from this and, in particular, to act on them and deliver on the pitch." Ingolitsch emphasized that the league is the most important competition. "We have to focus on our performance, then the successes will come." Jon Gorenc Stankovic is back in training and set to return to the starting lineup. Ryan Fosso and Jeyland Mitchell, who were injured in Altach, could also start. Ingolitsch spoke about the upheaval in the team. Of the starting lineup that beat Ried 3-1 last August, only three players are currently available.

"We know that a different kind of soccer game awaits us!"
Goalkeeper Daniil Chudjakow is expected to be out for four weeks due to a torn muscle fiber in his hip, but Matteo Bignetti enjoys the "full confidence" of the coaching staff. Ried's starting eleven is unlikely to change after their recent convincing performance. Unlike against Vienna, Senft expects a lot of battles for second balls. "We know that we can expect a different kind of soccer game than last week."