Rapid Vienna vs Wisla Krakow

Allianz Stadion is the venue as Rapid Vienna and Wisla Krakow go head-to-head in the return leg of their Europa League qualifying tie.

Despite falling a man down toward the end of the first half, goals on either side of halftime inspired Rapid Vienna to a precious 2-1 first-leg win in Poland last week, bringing them closer to qualifying round three. The two-time Cup Winners’ Cup runners-up and the record-time Austrian champions are odds-on to make it out of this stage despite lacking a competitive form. Robert Klauß’s side eased past lower-league Neusiedl 2-0 in the Austrian Cup at the weekend to strengthen their spirits ahead of this pivotal fixture. However, Rapid must improve on their woeful home form toward the end of last season to secure progression. The Green-Whites only won once in six at the tail-end of 2023/24 (D3, L2), netting under 1.5 goals five times.

On the other hand, Wisla Krakow’s perennial struggles in I Liga continued last season as they had to settle for a gut-wrenching 10th-place finish in the Polish second tier. However, lifting the Polish Cup title for the first time since 2002/03 helped Wisla land a berth in Europa League qualifying for the first time since 2010/11. They did make it out of round two that year, but they face an uphill task to replicate that feat this summer following an unconvincing first-leg performance. Wisla last competed in the Europa League proper in 2011/12, and it was also the last time they featured in European football before this term. A 2-1 away win against Llapi in the previous qualifying round gives the White Star a glimmer of hope that they could turn this tie on its head.