FC Liefering
- This Friday’s 2. Liga six-pointer between FC Liefering and First Vienna FC 1894 is a clash of two very different footballing cultures, styles and personalities with Liefering’s Red Bull-inspired youth development system and attacking philosophy pitted against the pragmatic, structure-first ethos of the Vienna club.
- FC Liefering’s head coach Daniel Beichler has instilled a fast-paced, high-pressing 4-3-3 system in the club, that emphasizes pressing when out of possession, and an immediate switch to vertical, direct attacks when possession is won.
- Liefering have had an inconsistent run in their last five 2. Liga games, winning 5-2 at home to Kapfenberger, losing 0-4 at Admira Wacker and scraping by Rapid Wien II 1-0 in their last match.
- They are currently in mid-table with about 22 points from 16 games, while First Vienna are a few points behind in lower mid-table with about 16-17 points from a similar number of games.
- Liefering’s only current absentee is Valentin Sulzbacher, so the hosts should have no problems in matching First Vienna’s numbers on the pitch.
First Vienna
- First Vienna, on the other hand, are a more ‘Old School’ club, with a system that allows little room for individualism or self-expression.
- Head coach Aleksandar Gitsov’s 4-4-2 system is predicated on a strong defensive line, with disciplined pressing in phases and patient build-up play.
- The counter-attack is the Vienna side’s favorite route to goal and they will look to expose any defensive lapses that can be caused by the attacking nature of Liefering’s game.
- The Vienna team have been involved in four recent 2. Liga matches with very few goals.
- A 2-1 win at home to SKN St. Pölten was followed by a pair of 0-0 ties with Rapid Wien II and St. Pölten, and a 3-0 defeat at SW Bregenz.
- The Vienna defence has been solid, but the attack has lacked a cutting edge.
- First Vienna will be at full strength for this game, but lack a reliable goalscorer beyond Bernhard Zimmermann, who has about six league goals.
Head-to-Head
First Vienna have won four of the five previous competitive head-to-heads between these two sides, often by one-goal margins.
Key Players
- Oliver Lukić is the midfield engine of Liefering’s system and has recorded more assists than any other team member, but it is Phillip Verhounig who has been their most creative player, contributing four league goals and creating many chances from midfield.
- They do have a couple of players that can provide a creative spark in midfield, Jong-Min Seo is a threat from wide areas and has already scored important goals for the club this season, while Christoph Monschein brings a veteran’s know-how in the final third.
Betting Insights
- Both Teams To Score is available at 2.05 for this reason, despite First Vienna’s reputation for being a hard to break down.
- FC Liefering are the bookmakers’ favourites for this home game against First Vienna at 2.1, while the away side are 3.2 and the draw 3.35.
Prediction
- With home advantage, more goalscoring options, and the bookies’ odds favouring them, Liefering should edge out a narrow victory in this game.
- However, Vienna are a very defensive side and will likely frustrate Liefering at some point in the game.
