Sold-out Tivoli

Fan march in Innsbruck! Wacker fans fired up for the derby

The Wacker fans are getting in the mood for the derby with a fan march.(Bild: Sophie Hartl)

The atmosphere is electric in every corner of Tivoli, and every muscle is tingling—today (8:30 p.m. HERE on the Sportkrone.at live ticker), after more than 10 years, the moment has finally arrived: Wacker Innsbruck vs. Austria Salzburg! In the run-up to the match, Wacker fans already got into the spirit with a fan march (see Instagram video below).

Rapid just over a year ago (July 27)—that was the tasty appetizer for the 15,753 fans. Today’s Second Division West derby—that’s the excellent main course for 16,200!

After all, both the black-and-green and the purple clubs—and their supporters—have had to wait a long, long time for this. “And that’s why it would be a lie to say this is just a normal game!” Sebastian Siller, the “promotion-promotion-promotion” coach of Wacker Innsbruck (Tyrolean League, Tyrol Regional League, West Regional League), could feel the excitement and positive tension in his team—partly due to the impressive setting. He felt it himself, too! “Of course, we have to find a good balance—because everyone’s revved up to 180, but no one can get too carried away. But we’ll manage.”

The Wacker fans’ chant here in the video:

With what he hopes will be “positive support for both teams,” Siller is hoping for a great game in this cauldron of a stadium—and a top performance from his players. But it won’t be easy: “Because Austria Salzburg boasts a high level of individual quality and has over 700 Bundesliga games under their belts. 700 more than we do.” The Tyroleans in the purple ranks alone—Simon Pirkl (90), Florian Rieder (140), and Christian Gebauer (145 plus 23 in the German Bundesliga!)—bring a wealth of experience and know-how to the table.

:Changes PossibleSince a derby like this—which has been sold out for weeks—can even speed up recovery in rehab, the 37-year-old coach has a full roster to draw from tonight: Alexander Joppich and Daniel Francis have declared themselves ready to play. “They’ve done everything they can to be fit.”

And Wacker will do everything it can to continue its impressive home streak against its archrival from the City of Mozart. “That would be nice—and not a bad thing either.” In this millennium, there hasn’t been a single loss in the red-white-red league competition (whether the Bundesliga or the Second Division); in ten matchups, Innsbruck has only slipped up once—in the ÖFB Cup...

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/krone.at)

“It’ll be a heated, evenly matched game,” says Christian Gebauer, the purple dynamo from Navis (already with four league goals), with conviction. “The last few weeks and games have shown what kind of team spirit we have. That’s why I’m confident we’ll come away with three points from the Tivoli.” The 32-year-old is certainly bursting with anticipation: “I’m just looking forward to the great atmosphere, to 16,000 fans in the stadium!”