Traiskirchen targets cup upset as St Pölten faces Salzburg

Traiskirchen are preparing for the biggest match in the club’s history when regional-league side Traiskirchen host record ÖFB Cup winners Austria Vienna on Saturday, while second-tier St Pölten face Bundesliga runners-up Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday, ORF reports.

The second-round cup match in Traiskirchen kicks off at 5.30pm at the sold-out ARBÖ-Arena, with up to 3,500 fans expected. Sport director Manuel Trost described the occasion as a “century event” for the town and the club.

“The mood after the draw was incredible,” Trost told noe.ORF.at. “In 10 years of the ÖFB Cup, we never really had any luck with the opponents. This year it was madness. The players have also been talking about the Austria match in the dressing room for weeks.”

Traiskirchen’s squad includes several former Austria players, including Thomas Ebner, Philipp Hosiner and Maximilian Sax. Hosiner played for the Vienna club for several years and will now try to knock his former team out of the competition.

Traiskirchen are clear underdogs but Trost believes an upset is possible. “We certainly don’t want to hide on the pitch. We will try to play our game, and I believe the chance of creating a surprise is as great as it has ever been,” he said.

Austria’s poor start to the Bundesliga season has added to the home side’s confidence. The Vienna club have lost four of their first five matches and are bottom of the table.

Traiskirchen officials have spent weeks preparing the sold-out stadium. “It is an enormous amount of work,” Trost said, citing the stands, toilets and other infrastructure. He said he and the club president had been working on the preparations from early morning until late each day since Monday.

St Pölten seeks confidence against Salzburg

St Pölten face their own difficult cup tie on Sunday, when the second-tier club host Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg at the NV Arena at 5pm. Up to 5,000 fans are expected.

St Pölten began the season with four defeats in four matches but gained confidence last week with a 1-0 win over another Salzburg team, Austria Salzburg.

“This is David against Goliath. We have absolutely nothing to lose and want to show our best side,” St Pölten coach Cem Sekerlioglu said. The 47-year-old added that his team wanted to play aggressively and bravely and “annoy Salzburg a little”.

The teams last met in the ÖFB Cup almost five years ago, when St Pölten lost 3-0 in the round of 16. Despite their underdog status, St Pölten remain hopeful of recording their first win over Salzburg in their 20th meeting.