Young star wants his final - storm with a special bonus

Only one victory separates the blacks from the cup final! For Alexander Prass, who was born in Upper Austria, today's bang (8.30 p.m., Merkur Arena) against his former club LASK is a special highlight game. Already fixed: If the Ilzer troupe creates the dream of the final in Klagenfurt, then the club puts on the donation pants.

Defending champion Salzburg was eliminated in the quarter-finals - today, Thursday, LASK should be eliminated on the way to the cup final! But it's not good to eat cherries with the black and white people from the steel city. "LASK is always an unpleasant opponent, he has a lot of quality and routine in the squad, plays quite ripped off," warns Alexander Prass. For Sturm's young star, the hit is even hotter than it already is. Because: The neo-team player is the only Upper Austrian in the storm, even laced up his first soccer shoes in the LASK youth team. But only briefly. He was discovered by Salzburg as an eleven-year-old and transferred to the boarding school there. "Some didn't push it through at the time because of homesickness, but I really wanted it," recalls the midfield machine.

Family in the BW warehouse

Since then, the 21-year-old has had nothing to do with LASK. On the contrary, his family keeps their fingers crossed for their city rivals. "My dad is a BW Linz fan, and my younger brother also plays there." With his debut in the national team, Prass has already fulfilled a childhood dream - now his first title is about to come. Cup and championship - Christian Ilzer's team can still dream of the second double in the club's history. "The game against LASK is a highlight for us, but we have to play it like a normal match," says the youngster, who is looking forward to the final in Klagenfurt. "It would be my first big final for a title," says Prass.

But be careful: This season Sturm did not manage a threesome against LASK: 0:1 at home, 1:1 away. “Both duels were close games and at eye level. Little things make the difference,” emphasizes Christian Ilzer. “LASK is an opponent that demands everything from us. But we know what to expect,” says the coach, who will only set the match day squad at lunchtime today after sweating.

"Didn't have to set a player on fire"

In any case, his players are dying for the cracker: "I didn't have to set any more players on fire," grins the coach, who once again drummed into his squad beforehand: "No one can believe that we're already cup winners. We may have eliminated Salzburg, but we haven't achieved anything yet! The focus is on the LASK game and not on a possible final in Klagenfurt.” In any case, the club leadership is not stingy: if the team makes it into the final, there is a special bonus for the professionals.