Austria Vienna is fighting in the cup semi-finals: will it go against underdog Hartberg?

Austria Vienna is fighting in the cup semi-finals: will it go against underdog Hartberg?

The semi-finals of the ÖFB Cup are scheduled for April 2, 2025. FK Austria Wien welcomes TSV Hartberg. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. and promises exciting football action in front of the home crowd in Klagenfurt. Vienna Austria has clearly prevailed in the championship group and is leading the table after convincing with a 2-0 win against Blau-Weiß Linz last weekend. In this game, coach Stephan Helm's team presented itself as the strongest in the league and has not given up a single point in the last four Bundesliga games. There have only been points lost against Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz, which underlines the dominance of the Viennese.

TSV Hartberg, which is under the leadership of former Austria coach Manfred Schmid, took second place in the current Bundesliga qualifying group, but is only eighth in the overall standings. Most recently, Hartberg suffered a narrow 2:3 defeat against Austria Klagenfurt. Despite this setback, Hartberg is considered an underdog in the upcoming duel against the Viennese, as they suffered ten defeats in the last twelve matches against Austria. The last showdown ended with a narrow 1-0 win for Austria.

The path to the semi-finals

For Wiener Austria, the route to the semi-finals has been crowned with success so far. Since October 2023, the team has won 15 of 17 competitive games, not only consolidating its place at the top of the championship group, but also building considerable self-confidence. In total, over 13,600 tickets for the semi-final were sold, indicating the great interest fans have in football in Austria. Austria's last cup final was in 2015 when they lost to Salzburg. The club wants to be in the final again after all these years and is pushing for a return to the winners' list of the ÖFB Cup, which they have already won 27 times in the club's history, with the last trophy celebrated in 2009.

Coach Stephan Helm emphasizes that the focus must be on the game and that all regular players apart from the injured Hakim Guenouche will be available. Mirko Kos will be in goal and Aleksandar Dragovic calls on his team to show full concentration. This will be crucial as Hartberg sees himself as an underdog and is hoping to play a very good game.

About the ÖFB Cup

The ÖFB Cup, officially known as the UNIQA ÖFB Cup, is the national football cup competition for men in Austria and has been held annually since 1919. The association that organizes this competition is the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB). A total of 64 teams take part in the main round and the game mode is a knockout system. FK Austria Wien is the record winner with 27 titles. The current title holder is SK Sturm Graz, who have already won the cup seven times.

The semi-final between Austria Wien and TSV Hartberg is not only a key moment for both teams this season, but also an opportunity to honor the tradition and prestigious status of the ÖFB Cup.