“Embody on the pitch that it is a special game”

The Upper Austria derbies between SV Ried and LASK in recent years have guaranteed heated duels on and off the pitch. After the Innviertel team was relegated from Austria’s top division, points games between the rivals are currently on hold – at least at the professional level. The second sets of the two clubs will meet again this season in the Central Regional League. Tomorrow (4 p.m.) the Junge Wikinger Ried will welcome the SPG LASK Amateure OÖ in the Innviertel Arena “small” Upper Austria derby.

Explosive duel

“The game is very important to us”says Alfons Fischer, who has been looking after the young Rieders on an interim basis for three games following the departure of coach Hubert Zauner. Fischer, who was born in Utzenaich, was previously an assistant coach and is now leading the training together with captain Julian Baumgartner, at least until winter. “We have prepared the players specifically for the derby. Everyone has to know and embody on the pitch that it is a special game. Even if it’s only the second teams”says Fischer, who has to watch the duel from the stands after a red card in the last game in Klagenfurt.

The table situation brings additional explosiveness to the duel. The LASK amateurs are only in 13th place after second place last year, the Rieders are currently one point behind. “The LASK is in a similar situation to us; not everything is going well yet”says the Rieder interim coach. You have to take advantage of that. After the many rotations compared to last season and an expandable start to the season, the young team has now accepted the league’s standard well. “Now it’s time to convert the good performances into points”says Fischer. Union Gurten already put this plan into practice against Weiz on the last matchday (2:1). The win against the Styrians was also the start of the “Gurtner home game weeks”: Peter Madritsch’s team will play the remaining four games of the first half of the season at home in front of their own audience. The reason is a subsequent pitch renovation next spring, which will be started in May and will force the Gurtners to play the last games of the season away.

Create conditions

“Of course we want to score as many points as possible at home”says Madritsch. The big goal of the season is to take part in the ÖFB Cup again. The aim is to create the tabular conditions for this now. Today (6.30 p.m.) comes Bad Gleichenberg, according to Madritsch “an opponent on equal terms” to the Gurtner Park21 Arena: “Bad Gleichenberg has many experienced players whose quality can make the difference. It will be important to keep the zero at the back. We’ll get our scoring chances again up front.”

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