Eight championship titles in a row, 51 cup games unbeaten.
These numbers express the superiority of the St. Pölten women and can certainly instill fear in the competition. In the cup final, the Lower Austrians will face Austria Vienna in Wiener Neustadt on Thursday. Anything other than the tenth cup success for St. Pölten would be a big surprise. Especially since it is the violets’ first final ever.
And yet the pursuers are closer to St. Pölten than ever before. Even if captain Jennifer Klein says: “We are used to being chased.” Coach Liese Brancao not only attests to Austria’s clear progress in the last two or three years, but also to other clubs such as Sturm, Vienna and Vorderland.
The season duels between Austria and the champions from Lower Austria were all close or a draw. There is no longer any trace of sweeping victories or even double-digit successes and record leads. “The opponents have become more athletic, also more stable in their performances and therefore also in their results.”
Even if the Viennese are in no man’s land in fifth place in the table, as coach Stefan Kenesei admits, much more is possible in just one game.
Sport Talk – Wenninger & Makas (with subtitles)
Isabel Hochstöger, head of women’s and girls’ football at the ÖFB, is pleased about the development. “The teams in the league have moved closer together. That’s exactly what we wanted, more excitement.”
Stronger women’s Bundesliga
St. Pölten had been taking this for several years due to their dominance in the league. Brancao adds: “The league is more interesting because it has been greatly improved.” Even the series champions are happy about that. Brancao expresses how great the appreciation and respect for Austria is: “It will be close again. We need a perfect day and have to take advantage of our chances.”
Statements that a St. Pölten trainer had not had to make often in the past.
In any case, the Lower Austrians have been warned, as they had to work overtime in the current cup competition in both the quarter-finals against Neulengbach and the semi-finals against Vienna. Klein: “We can’t assume that the finale will be over in 90 minutes. We are preparing for an intense fight.” And perhaps also for a slightly longer working day.