TSV Hartberg - TJ Sokol Wien predictions and free betting tips [02/03/2024]

In the second quarter-final match of the Austrian Bundesliga, Hartberg and Sokol Wien go head-to-head.

Hartberg

Hartberg is setting the stage for a confident semi-final progression in the Austrian Volleyball Championship, initiating the play-offs with an assertive 3:0 victory over Sokol. Two sets ended in nail-biting contention at 25:21, showing Hartberg's tenacity and ability to finish off sets in their favour, while a second set advantage of 25:17 underlined their dominance in the match.

However, their latest match in the Austrian Cup final against Aich/Dob was less fruitful for Hartberg, conceding a 0:3 defeat, with a less competitive third set, losing it 15:25. This defeat downplays their overall season performance where Hartberg took second place in the regular championship, boasting a strong record of 14 wins and four losses. In their last match of the regular season, having already secured a high place in the league rankings, Hartberg fielded a reserve team and were defeated 0:3 by championship leaders, Tyrol.

Sokol Wien

Sokol Wien finished the Austrian Bundesliga regular season in seventh place, managing 8 wins and 10 defeats. Despite efforts and three wins in their last five matches, the team failed to climb up the league table. In the first quarter-final match against Hartberg, Sokol Wien were unable to put up the necessary fight, losing 0:3 in sets, even though they started the first set with promise. Sokol had an initial 7:4 and 12:11 lead in the first set, but thereafter failed to regain the upper hand, going down 21:25. In the third set, Sokol Wien started on a disappointing 0:4 and never came within two points after the score levelled at 4:4, eventually giving the set away at 21:25.

The team's final matches in the championship showed inconsistency. Sokol triumphed over Graz with a clean 3:0 victory. However, a clash with league leaders Tyrol ended in a 0:3 defeat, underscoring the gap between the teams. Sokol Wien did show resilience by defeating Amstetten with a score of 3:1 and Weiz in another clean 3:0 sweep, indicating their competitive streak. A rollercoaster defeat to Tyrol by 2:3 after a tie-break, having led two sets to zero, highlighted the team's capacity to fight until the end.

Head-to-Head

In recent encounters between the two teams within the prefix of Austrian Bundesliga, Hartberg has had the upper hand. In the previous five matches, Hartberg has emerged victorious in all, four times comprehensively ending with 3:0 and once 3:1 in their favour. These outcomes underscore Hartberg's dominance and highlight the performance gap between the two teams. In their recent fixture on February 17th, Sokol Wien conceded a 0:3 defeat, reiterating the trend of previous meetings. An identical result was witnessed on December 16th, 2023, where Sokol Wien again failed to gain a single set against Hartberg.

Match prediction: Hartberg - Sokol Wien

I anticipate that Hartberg will confidently close out Sokol without conceding a set, a prediction supported by the record of their recent head-to-head encounters.