Klagenfurt is in our sights! In our home match against SCR Altach this Wednesday at 18:00 CET, we have the chance to reach the UNIQA ÖFB Cup final for the first time since 2022. In SV Ried – who face LASK in the semi-final – we could even be up against the same opponents as back then.

That’s still a long way off – our full focus is on Wednesday and our opponents, because they are a force to be reckoned with. Altach still have a chance of qualifying for the championship round in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga on the final matchday of the regular season. In our two head-to-head encounters last autumn, they took two draws against us (2-2 and 1-1).

Even under new management, Altach are enjoying success after Fabio Ingolitsch’s departure in the winter. In the five matches played this spring under new head coach Ognjen Zaric, they are undefeated, with three wins (against Austria Vienna, Sturm Graz after extra time, and BW Linz) and two draws (against Hartberg and Rapid Vienna).

Excitement is guaranteed when our home knockout clash kicks off on Wednesday evening. In the cup so far, we needed extra time in the last 16 against WSG Tirol, while Altach’s last two matches against Kapfenberg and then Sturm Graz both went to an extra 30 minutes.

Want to be at the stadium to cheer on our Red Bulls? Tickets are still available in our online ticket shop, and you can find all the essential information in our matchday info.

For anyone who can’t be there, ORF 1 will broadcast the match live and free of charge on TV and via a stream in Austria.

I can imagine that Altach won’t come to us and just throw everything at us, but will rather try to find success through counter-attacks and set pieces. For this reason, we can take a lot from the Hartberg match into this semi-final and make a few adjustments over the next two days. It will also be important that we play with the same dominance as we did recently. Of course, an early goal in a match like this would be especially helpful, because it would significantly change the course of the game. If we don’t manage that, we want to remain patient and continue to play our game consistently.

We haven’t come this far in the cup to say, “That’s enough.” No, the final is our aim! It goes without saying that we’ll invest everything, absolutely everything, to achieve it. If we think we’ll have an easy time at home against Altach, we could be in for a rude awakening though. They’ve already shown some really strong performances and played successfully this spring because they’re very consistent and disciplined. It will definitely be a tough match for us.