Showdown in Vienna: LASK Challenges Rapid

With two consecutive victories, LASK recently regained confidence. The 4-2 win at the Raiffeisen Arena against GAK, marking head coach Markus Schopp's home debut, was their second win of the Bundesliga season. On Tuesday, the Black-and-Whites followed it up with a comfortable 4-0 victory in the ÖFB Cup against Regionalliga side Sportunion Mauer.

Now, the Linz team aims to continue this positive trend against SK Rapid, fully aware that it will require a top performance. Their upcoming opponent leads the table with four wins, two draws, and one loss after seven rounds. “We know Rapid has started the season very well. We’ll have to prepare thoroughly and make sure we are at 100% on Saturday. Of course, we want to bring something back from Vienna, but that will take a top performance,” emphasized captain Robert Zulj. For his team, the match in Vienna also serves as a dress rehearsal for the start of the UEFA Conference League group stage on Thursday against Djurgardens IF.

LASK holds positive memories of their most recent encounter with SK Rapid. At the end of April, the Athletiker secured a resounding 5-0 victory at the Raiffeisen Arena, equaling their highest-ever win over the Hütteldorfers in the Bundesliga. Additionally, Linz has been unbeaten in their last six meetings with Rapid, with four of those ending in draws. On the road, the Upper Austrians have managed to secure a point in their last three away matches. While the last encounter in Vienna ended goalless, the previous match, a 3-3 draw, was full of excitement. The last time LASK claimed all three away points was in August 2019, with a 2-1 victory.

Both teams rank highly in the league’s possession statistics. LASK has the second-highest passing accuracy at 84%, just ahead of Rapid's 83.2%. In terms of average ball possession, LASK also ranks second with about 62%, while Rapid follows closely with nearly 59%.

ADMIRAL Bundesliga, Round 8
Sat, 28.09.2024, 17:00
SK Rapid - LASK
Allianz Stadion, Referee Jäger

Unavailable players: Lawal, Ljubic, Flecker, Pintor, Andrade