Week of honesty unfolds for Klauß & Rapid
Rapid Vienna are preparing for a packed week, including a Conference League quarter-final against Djurgarden and a crucial NFL match against city rivals Austria Wien.
The Conference League quarter-final against Djurgarden will take place on Swedish turf on Thursday evening (9 pm, live on Canal+). Rapid's captain, Matthias Seidl, will lead the team as they strive to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
The NFL match, the 346th in their history, will be played as a home game for Rapid. The match will be broadcast live on Sky, but unfortunately, fans will not be in attendance due to NFL incidents in September.
In the league, Rapid have had a challenging season so far. They have played two games in the championship group, suffering two 0-2 defeats against RB Salzburg and double champions Sturm Graz. Despite this, Rapid are still fighting for an NFL starting place, having not won in their last three games.
Coach Robert Klauß has stated that Rapid's job now is to regain what's currently missing and improve on their performance in the last two games. The team will need to be at their best to secure a positive result against Austria Wien, who have also drawn their last league game against WAC and lost the bitter cup semi-final against Hartberg.
The NFL match will be a significant test for both teams, with the 10-point gap to the Graz table leaders leaving Rapid out of the race for the first championship title since 2008. However, Rapid have not suffered a defeat in their last two games against Austria, so there is hope for a close contest.
The coach of Austria Wien for the NFL match is Stephan Helm. The two teams have faced each other twice this season, with each team winning 2-1. The Conference League quarter-final against Djurgarden will be a tough test, but Rapid will be determined to secure a positive result and continue their fight for an NFL starting place.
After the Conference League quarter-final, Rapid will play an NFL match on Sunday (5 pm, live on Sky). The team will be hoping to put in a strong performance and secure a valuable three points against their city rivals.
