Cautious hopes for Austria and St Pölten as they enter CL qualifiers

A crisp morning at the modest Radenci stadium sets the scene as Austria women’s champions and SKN St Pölten, the vice‑champions, prepare to step into the second of three Champions League qualification rounds on Wednesday, with both clubs acknowledging modest hopes for the elite competition.

Austria’s title‑holders will travel to Radenci on Wednesday to meet Croatian side Hajduk Split at 11:00, marking their first obstacle in the qualifying pathway.

The winner of the Radenci clash will face the victor of a parallel tie between NK Mura of Slovenia and Farul Constanta of Romania in a Saturday evening final at 18:00, with the aim of emerging as group winner.

St Pölten will host Swiss side YB Bern in a home mini‑tournament, also part of the second qualification round, providing a familiar venue advantage for the Austrian side.

Both Austria and St Pölten see their chances of reaching the league phase as restrained, reflecting the tempered optimism expressed by their staff.

Austria coach Stefan Kenesei called the draw a “heavy lot”, stressing that “in the ideal case we want to finish as group winners” and recalling the club’s previous success over Glasgow and Minsk.

SKN captain Jennifer Klein replied that “realistically the route this year will be through the Europa Cup”, noting the possible third‑round opponents such as PSG, Real Madrid or VfL Wolfsburg.

The broader picture remains challenging: the second‑placed teams from the mini‑tournaments advance to the Europa Cup second round, while the third‑place match on Saturday also decides further progression, underscoring the long road ahead for both Austrian women’s top teams.