Regionalliga Salzburg Matchday 29: SV Seekirchen vs. FC Pinzgau Saalfelden
May 20 2022 (19:30 CET), Sportzentrum Aug
The Opposition
SV Seekirchen, who are based in the town of Seekirchen am Wallersee, were founded in 1945 shortly after the Second World War came to an end. However, they spent the first half a century of their existence languishing in the lower leagues of Austrian football, and it was not until 1997 that SVS climbed to the third tier for the first time in their history. They spent the next few seasons yo-yoing between divisions but have now been in the third tier without interruption since regaining promotion ahead of the 2002/03 campaign.
Several youngsters who came through the club’s ranks in the late 1980s and early 1990s went on to become household names in Austrian football, with Robert Ibertsberger, Andreas Ibertsberger and Thomas Winklhofer all representing their country on multiple occasions. More recently, Stefan Lainer has excelled with Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and the Austrian national team since coming through the Seekirchen academy.
Team News
FC Pinzgau Saalfelden head coach Christian Ziege will still be without midfielders Hasan Ibrahimi and Eren Aydinhan, while the defensive duo of Alessandro Ziege and Denis Kahrimanovic are suspended following their recent dismissals. Attacker Joao Pedro has resumed light team training but is not yet ready to return to competitive action.
SV Seekirchen will also have a suspension to contend with. Right winger Andreas Pär, an almost ever-present figure for the Wallersee outfit who has missed only one match this spring, is banned after picking up a booking last time out. Current coach Mario Lapkalo was brought in as a replacement for Alexander Schriebl, who will start his role as FCPS head coach this summer.
Recent Form
Previously such a formidable foe at the Saalfelden Arena, FCPS fell to their biggest home defeat in three years last weekend as they were comprehensively beaten 5-2 by SV Grödig. Despite slipping up in front of their own fans for the third time this spring, the Mountainous Pine Blues remain in second and only three points adrift of leaders Seekirchen, who themselves dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Anif last time out. Seekirchen are a tough nut to crack at Sportzentrum Aug, with seven victories, one draw and two defeats from their last 10 home outings.
Head-To-Head Record
Having won four of the last six meetings between the teams – including a 2-1 victory in April that ended FC Pinzgau’s 539-day unbeaten home run – SV Seekirchen have firmly established themselves as a bogey team for Christian Ziege’s side. That recent superiority has edged them ahead in the overall head-to-head standings too: SVS have 11 wins, six draws and seven defeats from their previous 24 encounters with the men from Saalfelden.