Rapid Vienna vs Vitesse: prediction and possible lineups
Rapid Vienna and Vitesse will face each other on Thursday 17 February in the Austrian capital in the first leg of the Europa Conference League knockout playoffs. Vitesse reached this stage by finishing second in their group in the inaugural Conference League campaign, as the hosts dropped out of their Europa League group but saved the chance to compete in the European tertiary competition with a third place finish. Rapid Vienna vs Vitesse kick-off is scheduled for 18:45
Rapid Vienna vs Vitesse match preview: where are the two teams?
Quick Vienna
Rapid Vienna find themselves fighting for a place in the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League after failing to finish in the top two of their Europa League group. Tight wins over Genk and Dinamo Zagreb weren’t enough for Die Grun-Weissen to pass, who suffered defeats in the setbacks of those games along with a couple of losses to West Ham United. Now they head into the continent’s third competition with hopes of progressing into the knockout stage for their spirit after a difficult start to the season, with the 32-time Austrian champions currently sitting fifth in the national top flight with an unsatisfactory record of 24. points from 19 games for their standards. After an Austrian Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Hartberg, Ferdinand Feldhofer’s boys recently met the runaway leaders of Red Bull Salzburg on their home court, and were defeated 2-1 despite being ahead thanks to Filip Stojkovic until the hour. Now, looking to bounce back and take the lead at home, Die Grun-Weissen welcome a Vitesse side, also in worrying national form.
Vitesse
The Dutch have lost four consecutive league and cup games, conceding 16 goals and scoring only once in the process, including consecutive 5-0 losses towards Wednesday. Their place at this stage of the competition is also under slight controversy, as Tottenham Hotspur’s postponement against group winners Rennes was met with a forfeit, seeing the English side finish three points behind Vitesse. However, Thomas Letsch’s side struggled to progress, scoring a captivating 1-0 win against Tottenham at home in October, plus a couple of wins against Mura and a meritorious 3-3 draw with the Rennes in France. They will now look to achieve an away result in their attempt to the round of 16 of the positive first season of the Conference League before arriving next week in Vienna in Arnhem.
Latest news from the teams
Rapid Vienna should be left without Leo Greiml and Leo Schuster, as the two remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, captain Maximilian Hofmann is in doubt, leaving Friday’s starting eleven against Red Bull Salzburg in his absence as a possible pattern for the first leg. Young forward Yusuf Demir is hoping to have a chance in the eleven, while former Tottenham Hotspur center forward Kevin Wimmer is another candidate for a starting spot. After 5-0 in a row, Thomas Letsch may be looking to make changes to his Vitesse to inspire a change of form. Following her return to the starting eleven last time around, Lois Openda is expected to have a role in the attack again, having scored two goals in the Conference League group stage and 11 goals in 22 Eredivisie appearances so far. You will support striker Adrian Grbic, who arrived on loan from Lorient in the transfer window in January. Riechedly Bazoer will continue to play an important role in possession, with the Dutch midfielder at the center of a trio.
Probable line-ups Rapid Vienna vs Vitesse
Possible starting line-up of Rapid Vienna:
Gartler; Schick, Wimmer, Moormann, Auer; Aiwu; Petrovic, Grahovac; Osvaldo; Demir, Grull
Vitesse possible starting lineup:
Houwen; Doekhi, Bazoer, Rasmussen; Dasa, Bero, Domgjoni, Wittek; Frederiksen, Grbic, Openda
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