Admira are coming from what has, by all accounts, been a reasonably good season, as they secured their survival with plenty of games to spare and also had a very good Austrian Cup run, reaching the last four.
The Modlingers, who have been punching above their weight in the last few seasons, had a decent first half of the season, given that they managed to keep a distance between themselves and the relegation threatened sides. However, it was obvious that the sharpness that they had in the last two seasons was gone and the board opted to act, firing Oliver Lederer during the international break and replacing him with Damir Buric, an unknown in Austrian football.
Those skeptical of the appointment of the Croatian coach were soon silenced, as Buric went on to avoid defeat in his first nine games in charge, the longest unbeaten run for a newly-appointed manager in Admira's history, while the Modlingers also defeated Austria away from home in the Cup quarter final to set up a semi clash with Salzburg.
The Red Bulls were eventually too strong for them, crushing them with a 5:0 scoreline to reach the final of the competition, while Admira also slowed down a bit in the last few games in the league, which was hardly a surprise, given that they had nothing to play for.
However, they have definitely met all targets that were set before the season started and, given what an impact Buric has had since taking over, will enter the next campaign with plenty of optimism surrounding them.
