A long journey for the football cup: A real marathon for the players
The Austrian football cup is presenting a special challenge this season. For some teams, the competition means not only athletic effort on the pitch, but also an enormous burden due to long journeys across the country.
Coach Ognjen Zaric's team is currently leading an unusual statistic. For the round trip to a single away game, the players have to cover a total of around 1,270 kilometers. This puts the team at the top of the list of the longest journeys among all 32 participating teams.
Such long trips are very demanding for the clubs, both in terms of time and organization. The players spend many hours on the bus, which makes preparing for the important match more difficult. Nevertheless, the motivation within the team is high to show a good performance in the cup despite the travel strain.
The ÖFB Cup is known for giving smaller clubs the chance to compete against big opponents. However, the long distances show just how great the logistical tasks for teams in Austria can be. Fans and experts are curious to see whether the travel strain will have an impact on the result.