Mission Impossible for Green-White in London
Two Austrian teams qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League this season. On a sober note, however, both teams are glaring outsiders and will probably not have much reason to cheer. For the struggling Austrian record champions from Hütteldorf, the most difficult game is on the agenda on Thursday evening. In London, West Ham and Rapid Wien face each other
David Moyes’s Hammers were the big positive surprise in the Premier League last season and are currently in brilliant form. While the home side will be coming into the game with a broad chest, the term “self-confidence” is currently an absolute foreign word in the camp of the Kühbauer eleven. Rapid Wien are in free fall and are currently second to last in the Austrian Bundesliga.
The difference in quality between the Premier League and the Austrian Bundesliga is enormous anyway, and when a team with strong form meets a team with poor form, the question of the winner should not arise. Accordingly, odds of just under 1.30 are offered for a home win for West Ham against Rapid Wien. The match kicks off at 9pm on Thursday.
West Ham – Statistics & current form
The club from the capital looks back on the most successful season in the club’s history. In David Moyes’ second spell in charge, the Hammers set off on an unexpected high. For only the third time in the club’s history, West Ham qualified for an international competition via the league. 65 points in one season is also another record.
At home the Hammers are a force
After the Hammers failed to qualify for the EL in 2015/16 and 2016/17, the Moyes eleven is in the group stage for the first time and is regarded as the clear favourite in Group H. A well-deserved 2-0 away win at Dinamo Zagreb on the first matchday underlined this role.
Now it’s time to follow up at home, and there is no great doubt that this plan could fail. West Ham are virtually unbeatable at home in the London Stadium. If only the home games from the calendar year 2021 are counted in the Premier League, West Ham are even the third best team in the league
Guarantee of success Michail Antonio
After winning their first two league games, the Londoners went through a bit of a results crisis with just two points from three games before a 2-1 away win at Leeds last weekend. Once again the focus was on 31-year-old Jamaican Michail Antonio. The brawny attacker is the Hammers’ life insurance policy and has eight goals to his name this season (five goals, three assists).
No other player in the Premier League has collected more scorer points so far. The Hammers’ solo top scorer also scored against Dinamo Zagreb. Between West Ham and Rapid Vienna, odds of around 1.80 are offered for a prediction on another Antonio goal.
Predicted West Ham line-up:
Fabianski – Cresswell, Zouma, Diop, Fredericks – Soucek, Rice – Fornals, Lanzini, Vlasic – Antonio
Last matches played by West Ham:
Austria Rapid Vienna – Statistics & current form
This coming Friday, Didi Kühbauer celebrates his third anniversary as head coach at Rapid Wien. Kühbauer is a Grün-Weißes Urgestein and enjoys enormous respect among the fans. But slowly but surely, even his bulging credit is gambled away and the results have to be right again.
Last in the Austrian Bundesliga
The double burden, the referee, bad luck with injuries, a lack of luck – Didi Kühbauer has given more than enough excuses for the current failure in recent weeks. The Rapid player of the century is by no means thinking of giving up, but with two more disappointments this week, the international break could become extremely unpleasant for him.
At the weekend, Rapid Wien suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against Sturm Graz and thus slipped to second-last place in the table Next weekend they have to face WSG Tirol in the basement and a win is absolutely mandatory.
Ten defeats in 14 EL away games
But before that, there is a game in London where the green and white have nothing to lose. No fan will realistically expect a point at West Ham’s London Stadium. The difference in quality is enormous and, given their current form, the two teams are worlds apart.
In addition, Rapid Wien are a welcome guest in the Europa League, as the Green-Whites have lost ten of the last 14 EL away games. In view of the intense programme (19 competitive matches since mid-July), rotation will again be the order of the day.
Moreover, it is clear for Rapid that a win in the league has top priority on Sunday. The Europa League almost seems like a burden for the green-white team. In this respect, no surprises are to be expected and a bet on a high handicap is recommended for West Ham against Rapid.
Predicted line-up of Rapid Vienna:
Gartler – Ullmann, Greiml, Hofmann, Stojkovic – Grüll, Grahovac, Aiwuo, Arase – Fountas, Kara
Last matches played by Rapid Wien:
West Ham – Rapid Vienna Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Thursday night’s home game will be a double premiere for the Premier League club from London. Not only will the Hammers meet Rapid Vienna for the first time, but they will also face an Austrian team for the first time ever. The Green-Whites from Vienna, meanwhile, have already played eleven games against Premier League teams. In the process, the Hütteldorfer have conceded seven defeats (two wins, two draws).
West Ham – Rapid Wien Austria betting tips
This clash at the London Stadium is one of those matches on the second matchday of the UEFA Europa League where the question of the winner does not really arise. The starting position is more than clear and in fact there are no arguments whatsoever against betting on the home side in the match between West Ham and Rapid Wien.
The Kühbauer eleven will be able to play without any pressure and therefore perhaps be a little more liberated, but the differences in quality will not be compensated. In addition, West Ham is a very strong team at home, while Rapid can rarely score away from home.
The physical condition in the visitors’ camp is also frightening. It is by no means ideal to run after the ball for the most part. Sooner or later, spaces will open up and therefore between West Ham and Rapid Wien the somewhat riskier prediction on the -2.5 handicap can also be recommended Four units are selected as the stake for this
