Fight to stay in the league: Pacult demands everything from his team!

Fight to stay in the league: Pacult demands everything from his team!

On March 29, 2025, the Austrian Bundesliga will face exciting challenges. Head coach Peter Pacult from Austria Klagenfurt is exploring his team's options in the upcoming relegation and European Cup playoffs. “We expect intense competition,” said Pacult. The team has set itself the goal of playing for seventh place to avoid relegation worries.

There are ten games on the program for Austria Klagenfurt, in which the team has to be present both in terms of running and fighting. The team is currently in the top position in the lower playoffs with 15 points, followed by LASK and Hartberg, who have a better starting position but are not far away. Pacult always emphasizes the importance of mental attitude, while captain Thorsten Mahrer emphasizes the goal of having nothing to do with relegation.

The playoff mode and the opponents

As part of the reform, which has been in effect since the 2018/19 season, the league consists of 12 teams. After a basic round of 22 match days, the Bundesliga is divided into two groups: the master group and the qualification group. Each team plays a round-trip with ten additional games in their respective group. The points of all teams will be halved, which is why Klagenfurt's athletes must also show a solid performance in order to successfully get through this phase.

Austrian Klagenfurt will face WSG Tirol, Grazer AK and SCR Altach in the upcoming matches. The Klagenfurt team have so far shown themselves to be strong in direct duels, especially against TSV Hartberg, against whom they drew in two matches (2:2 and 1:1). From a total of ten duels in the Bundesliga, they can look back on five wins, four draws and only one defeat.

European Cup chances and other teams in the playoffs

The situation is made even more exciting by the results of the other teams. The WAC recently secured first place in the qualifying group with a 1-2 win against SV Ried and thus has home advantage for the first playoff game. Austria Lustenau strengthens the competition with a clear 5-1 win against TSV Hartberg, which means both teams move into the playoffs. The duel for the Conference League qualification will take place on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in Lavanttal.

The impact of this playoff round could be drastic for the future European participation of the clubs in Austria. The winners of the playoffs have the chance to take part in international competitions, and the winner of the qualifying group meets the fifth-placed team in the master group in a return match.

It will be all the more important for the Klagenfurt team to score consistently in the coming games in order not only to secure relegation, but also to possibly take a step towards Europe. The Bundesliga reform is already bearing fruit and promises excitement until the last matchday in the upper and lower playoff rounds. Bundesliga President Hans Rinner and league board member Christian Ebenbauer are optimistic about the financial and sporting development of the league, which is of crucial importance for small clubs.

The coming rounds not only represent a sporting challenge, but are also of great strategic importance for all teams involved.

You can find more information on this topic at Click Carinthia, Laola1 and Laola1 on Bundesliga reform.