The general conditions for the 102nd basketball derby between the Flyers Wels and the OCS Swans Gmunden in the Raiffeisen Arena could hardly be better. The Stefanitag (Monday, 7.15 p.m., ORF Sport+) is traditionally quite well received by the fans, both local rivals have also stirred the advertising drum with appealing performances.
Advance sales are going well, around 1,000 visitors are expected. And they can be very loud – as registered in the play-off quarter-finals in spring. The hall will turn into a “madhouse”. The basket hunters from Traunsee, who are clearly ahead in the all-time record with 73:28 victories, go into the spicy duel with a series of six victories. After two successes en suite, the Flyers also have the upper hand and don’t want to be dumped like in October at 67:87 in Gmunden. At that time, however, the Welser had arrived with the last squad, captain Christian von Fintel had to give up due to illness.
Not everyone is on board this time either: the long-term absence of Yonatan Rabinowitz, who brought a serious muscle injury to his knees, requires a readjustment on the transfer market.
Regardless of this, on paper it is a real top game in the slipstream of the two top teams BC Vienna and Oberwart Gunners. Incidentally, the latter were awarded the contract to host the Cup Final 4 tournament on January 14th and 15th, where the Burgenland, Vienna, Gmunden and Graz will fight for the title.
The Swans are third in the Superliga, with Wels tied for fourth. So the winner on Monday is number one in the country, and the prestige factor is correspondingly high. “Gmunden is the clear favourite, but derbies have their own laws,” said Wels coach Sebastian Waser. And: “We are very strong at home.” Five wins in six games underpin this statement. The Swans will be on their guard. “It will be a very intense match,” believes captain Daniel Friedrich.
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
