Rapid take the early initiative

Two-point lead
The one surprise is that it is Rapid that are top. Josef Hickersberger made no major signings during the summer but his side have started the campaign playing flowing football and lie two points clear at the top of the table after beating VfB Admira Wacker Mödling 2-1 at the weekend.

Goalkeeping depth
In fact, Hickersberger's biggest concern is who to select between the posts. Austrian national goalkeeper Helge Payer began the season there but after he was sidelined, his understudy and free-signing from Chelsea FC, Jürgen Macho, excelled and has retained the No1 jersey despite Payer's return to fitness.

Inconsistent Pasching
Rapid's lead would have been greater but for a 2-1 loss to the inconsistent SV Pasching in their previous fixture. The side that finished third last term are languishing in the bottom half after losing half of their eight games this season and typified their form by following that impressive victory with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of FC Wacker Tirol on Saturday.

Goal Rushfeldt
With Pasching seemingly out of the running, Rapid's main rivals for the championship are Austria and GAK. Austria lie second and are the league's form side with three consecutive wins, including an emphatic 9-0 win at Schwarz-Weiss Bregenz last month, where Norway striker Sigurd Rushfeldt found the net four times.

Bankrolled to success
But the onus is on the club to continue their improvement and claim their 21st league crown. Frank Stronach's deep pockets helped the club bring in eight new faces during the close season, with the help of former Austria and Croatia national coach Otto Baric who was employed in a consultancy capacity. The side started the campaign poorly though, experiencing a four-game spell without winning before their change in fortunes.

GAK goalscoring problems
Austria's last win came on Sunday with a 1-0 win at GAK that saw Walter Schachner's side lose their second in succession and drop from top to third. GAK, who will now line up in the UEFA Cup alongside Austria and Rapid after losing their UEFA Champions League qualifier against Liverpool FC, have struggled to find the net this season and despite the signing of prolific Bosnia-Herzegovnian forward Alen Skoro, they have scored just eight - one more than Bregenz.

Admira start
Admira have had much less trouble finding the back of the net. The summer clear-out - which saw eleven players leave and nine arrive - has invigorated the club who lie fourth, three points behind both Austria and GAK. Newcomers Wacker and SV Austria Salzburg are also on 12 points.

Sturm struggle
At the bottom of the table, Bregenz lie three points adrift though they did secure their first win of the season on Saturday with a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers SV Mattersburg. Four years after they topped a Champions League group ahead of AS Monaco FC, Galatasaray SK and Rangers FC, SK Sturm Graz are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle after two wins in eight games has left them level with Mattersburg.