Match Previews

The recent domestic form was far from good... A fortunate 0:0 home draw vs. rivals Rapid... Acimovic(k) ill and doubtful... Kuljic(k) and Blanchard(r) both rested for this encounter....After losing their UEFA Cup opener at home to Bordeaux, Austria can my no means afford themselves to lose their upcoming match vs. Helsinborgs, but this is something that is easier said than done, as the Violets have all sorts of problems ahead of this match. First of all, there is the form problem, as Austria are far from the convincing team they were in the earlier stages of the season, as they've struggled for creativity recently and have been scrapping out results in their domestic league, with their recent goalless home draw vs.rivals Rapid being an extremely fortunate result. Second, manager Zellhofer is facing enormous squad selection problems for this match. The industrious Sariyar(r), who also missed the weekend draw vs. Rapid, has accomplished the rare achievement of being suspended both domestically and in Europe at the same time and will miss this clash. Captain Blanchard(r) has been left at home to rest after missing the previous match with a minor injury, while striker Kuljic(k) was also excused after he asked his manager to give him a rest. Keeper Safar(r), who got injured a few weeks ago and is one of the most confident members of the back line, won't be making his return. To make things worse, Sulimani(r) and Acimovic(k), have both missed training on Tuesday with illness and are both doubtful for this match. The lengthy injury list means that Austria's midfield is picking itself, while Zellhofer will have to make a choice between Lafata's(r) versatility and Okottie's(sp) pace in attack.