Regional league duel: Donaufeld and Floridsdorf start in the Uniqa Cup!

Regional league duel: Donaufeld and Floridsdorf start in the Uniqa Cup!

Football fans in Austria, watch out! The first round of the Uniqa Cup is just around the corner and marks the start of the national season on Friday. From Friday to Sunday there will be a total of 32 games to watch, many of them between ambitious clubs from the regional and state leagues. The four scheduled derbies in particular cause excitement and are of particular interest to the fans. Donaufeld meets Floridsdorfer AC on Friday evening – the first derby of the round. Donaufeld, the title holder from the Regionalliga East, is coached by Sepp Michorl, who was an assistant coach at Austria in the past.

The Floridsdorfer AC, on the other hand, has to cope with a change. After coach Mitja Mörec moved to Blau Weiß Linz, Mario Sonnleitner took over the reins on an interim basis. A new bearer of hope comes from Graz: Juri Kirchmayr, a 19-year-old goalkeeper, is moving from GAK to Floridsdorf. The highlight of the derby is certainly in the focus of the media and the fan camp, but the game is just the start of an exciting football weekend.

The other derbies and games

A second derby on Friday brings Kremser SC against Amstetten. It will be exciting for the fans when the teams bring names and expectations onto the pitch. There is also another highlight in the calendar on Saturday with the local duels between Lafnitz against Hartberg and Retz against Stripfing. However, the latter are also struggling with economic difficulties because the cooperation with Vienna Austria was ended.

In terms of sport, things are also getting serious for defending champion Wolfsberg; They play against the regional league team Wallern on Friday. Storm Graz has to assert itself against a Salzburg regional league team in Bischofshofen without the injured striker Axel Kayombo. Friday will also be difficult for Admira and Vienna when both second division teams meet Weiz and Tillmitsch. Within the club, Admira coach Thomas Silberberger seems to be playing a stronger role in squad planning this year, which could be positive for the season.

Look at the big clubs

On Saturday all attention will be on the Vienna sports club, which will compete against LASK. Due to renovation work, the game will take place at the Hohe Warte. LASK's coach Joao Sacramento, who worked as assistant to José Mourinho for a while, will certainly try to take the place with his team.

Sunday will be the absolute highlight of the first round when the two traditional clubs Austria and Rapid immerse themselves in the action. Austria faces Voitsberg, the Styrian second division relegated team, while Rapid hosts Wacker Innsbruck, the regional league newcomer. This will be a high-risk game with over 15,000 spectators expected. So that the fun isn't neglected, the organizers have already prepared large quantities of beer, pretzels and sausages: 5,000 barrels of beer, 4,000 pretzels and 4,500 pairs of sausages are waiting for the hungry and thirsty supporters.

Football Sunday also promises a six-figure financial gain for Innsbruck, which shows how strong the interest in this game is. The Uniqa Cup weekend will be an exciting, gripping and certainly unforgettable experience for all football fans in Austria.

For further information about the games and background information, click here and find out more about the current developments in Austrian football.