Has the outdated ATO rule cost Austria a place in the tournament?

Manfred Schmid and his team still missed out on the tournament group.
APA / EXPA / FLORIAN SCHROETTER

“We now have the final in front of our fans,” Rapid coach Ferdinand Feldhofer said after the 2-0 win over WSG Tirol, and he was relieved he was able to fix it in the last round with a win over Austria Klagenfurt. “We now have a big final on Sunday,” Reed coach Robert Ebertsberger said after the 1-1 draw in Klagenfurt, sounding upbeat in the last game at home against Sturm Graz. “We still have a final, and we want to win it too,” said Austria coach Manfred Schmid, who wants to continue his winning streak in the southern part of the city.

Admira vs Austria Vienna (30 points), Rapid (28 points) vs Austria Klagenfurt (30) and SVRed (28 points) vs Sturm Graz – three inevitable finals next Sunday. A fourth could come with a WAC match against LASK (24 points) if the Linz people bow (or at least get a point) in the Red Bull Salzburg match, which has been postponed to Wednesday. In total, five teams (at least until Wednesday) fight for three places. Thus, the league’s new format has served its purpose once again in its fourth season – to create excitement at a stage in the tournament where the air would be too dead in a league without playoffs.

30 points too little for the first time?

The fact that 30 points cannot be enough for a first for a starting place in the championship round shows how tough the battle for the top six can be. If Rapid and Reed win their home games and Austria also get at least one point from Admira, the three clubs finish the regular season with 31 points. Then Austria Klagenfurt (and in theory also LASK) fell by the wayside with 30 points. “But other teams have to implement their sometimes difficult plans first,” says Klagenfurt assistant coach Wolfgang Schellenberg, who replaced ailing Peter Bacolt in the 1-1 draw with Reed.

Above all, Reed is not the favorite in the “final” against Sturm Graz. On the other hand, Innviertler is the only team still undefeated at home after Salzburg. Rapid has the potential to disappoint his fans anyway. But Austria will also have to be on guard in Südstadt – as they will likely have to dispense with coach Manfred Schmid, who saw red in anger at Wydad’s penalty. If the violets are lost, then super collapse may occur.

For Austria and the Bundesliga alike. If Rapid and Reed win their matches, Austria will draw with Klagenfurt and have a better goal difference, but head-to-head duels will be decisive for the standings. And here’s the gist: the duel ended 1-1 in Vienna and 0-0 in Klagenfurt. Because of the away goals rule (!), which is still important in the Bundesliga, although it was canceled internationally in the summer (but just before the start of the season), Carinthians were sixth and in the championship round, Violet seventh and in the qualifying round. hypothesis, but it is not impossible.

28 points can be enough too

The case will change in Austria’s favor if LASK also has 30 points. Then the internal table of the three clubs will see Austria ahead of LASK and Klagenfurt. On the other hand, Rapid could reach 28 points if Reed also lost to Sturm. Even if Rapid, Red, and Lask finish with three teams with 28 points, head-to-head duels will speak for the Green Eggs.