Will the Polish fairytale end against the Hütteldorfer?
Wisla Krakow are currently taking part in the Europa League qualifiers as a Polish second division team. After two wins against Kosovo’s KF Llapi in the first round, the Poles won with a total score of 4:1, which is why the dream of perhaps even making it through to the group stage is still alive. However, there is not much to suggest that Wisla Krakow’s match against Rapid Vienna will see the Polish Cup winners progress to the next round
With Rapid Vienna, a team is coming to the Henryk Reyman Stadium that not only has a glittering past, but also has a much more prestigious squad. The Hütteldorfer squad boasts seven senior internationals. The Polish second division team has zero. Accordingly, Wisla Krakow’s prediction against Rapid Vienna is that the Austrians will put themselves in a good starting position away from home in the south of Poland
In principle, it would even be conceivable to bet on an away win for Rapid, who undoubtedly have the necessary quality. However, it should be noted that the Viennese are under no pressure to win the first leg in front of an awe-inspiring crowd at the Henryk Reyman Stadium. Even a draw would be a good starting position to secure a ticket to the next round in front of their own fans next Thursday.
Consequently, the visitors from Austria do not have to go through the Polish second division team, who will no doubt be looking to counter-attack, with their heads through the wall. In our opinion, the combined bet on the double chance X2 with under 3.5 goals is the most likely outcome in this duel. As a slightly riskier alternative, the aforementioned direct bet on the Rapid team could also be ventured at slightly higher odds
Wisla Krakow – Statistics & current form
Wisla Krakow – 15.3 percent of which is owned by former BVB star Jakub Blaszczykowski – has had a very lively few years. The traditional club was relegated from the Ekstraklasa in the summer of 2022 before Biała Gwiazda (White Star) surprisingly became the first Polish second division club in 28 years to win the Polish Cup a few weeks ago.
The remarkable thing about it: Albert Rudé, the coach responsible for this coup, only emerged as a suitable candidate on the radar of those in charge after the use of an AI in the winter. Despite this ground-breaking success, the Spaniard terminated his contract at the end of the season in agreement with the club bosses
The clear goal is to return to the Ekstraklasa
At the start of the new season, Kazimierz Moskal is now set to master the complicated task of leading the club, which has already won 13 national championship titles and once reached the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup (1978/79), back to the top flight. Of course, performance in Europe is subordinate to this goal.
However, should Biała Gwiazda make it into an international group stage, the money would of course help the second division club immensely. And after all, if Wisla Krakow’s bet on Hütteldorf advancing against Rapid Vienna works out as expected in the end, the southern Poles would still be left with the Conference League qualifiers, in which opponents of the same caliber as a Polish second division club are more likely to be found
Can Wisla Krakow build on the 1st qualifying round?
The fact that the start of the season in the second-highest Polish league is still a week away is both positive and complicated for Kazimierz Moskal’s team. Biała Gwiazda were actually supposed to host LKS Lodz last weekend, but their games were postponed for the time being due to the match-fixing investigation
On the one hand, the Poles were able to fully prepare for Rapid Vienna after their commanding 4-1 aggregate win over Kosovo’s KF Llapi. On the other hand, a league game would have been another chance for the new coach to improve his team’s familiarity and match fitness. So whether it is an advantage or disadvantage can only be assessed in retrospect.
Expected line-up of Wisla Krakow:
Chinkan – Mikulec, Colley, Uryga, Jartoch – Carbo, Sapala – Sukiennicki, Gogol, Baena – Rodado
Rapid Vienna – Statistics & current form
As 32-time national champions (most recently in 2008), SK Rapid Wien would have been only too happy to seize the opportunity when serial champions RB Salzburg were finally shaken in the 2023/24 season. In the end, however, it was only enough for Hütteldorf to finish fourth in the final table, 16 points behind Sturm Graz.
Nevertheless, the Green-Whites can once again fight for a place in the group stage of the Europa League – a competition to which Rapid have a kind of permanent subscription. The club has already reached the preliminary round of Europe’s second most important competition for club teams nine times
The experience speaks for Rapid Vienna
While the Rapid team, who have also played in the preliminary round of the Champions League twice in 1996/97 and 2005/06, have only made it past the group stage twice, both times failing to reach the intermediate round.
Under former Nuremberg coach Robert Klauß, the club has nevertheless done a good job of late, so hopes of another European preliminary round are not unfounded. The bookmakers see it that way too. After all, the odds for Wisla Krakow against Rapid Vienna already clearly favor the Austrians in the first leg
It is still unclear exactly where Rapid Vienna stand
What is clear, however, is that the team, which was restructured in the summer, has yet to find its feet. After all, Rapid have not yet played a competitive match in 2024/25, while the most recent test matches could hardly have ended more differently with a clear 0:3 against Slavia Prague or a highly respectable 1:1 against AC Milan.
If Robert Klauß succeeds in forming the 14 new signings into a unit alongside the remaining personnel from the previous season in this not uncomplicated away game in the south of Poland, it might even work out with an away win, which would allow the Hütteldorfer to calmly concentrate on the league opener, which is to be played at Neusiedl on Sunday before the second leg against the Poles.
Predicted Rapid Vienna line-up:
Hedl – Auer, Raux-Yao, Cvetkovic, Bolla – Sattlberger, Grgic – Lang, Seidl, Jansson – Beljo
Wisla Krakow – Rapid Vienna head-to-head comparison / H2H result
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 0
The footballers from the south of Poland have already faced a representative of the Austrian Bundesliga six times (two wins, two draws, two defeats). However, this duel has not yet taken place in a competitive international match. There is therefore no head-to-head data available that could influence our predictions for Wisla Krakow v Rapid Vienna
Wisla Krakow – Rapid Vienna prediction
Not only the betting providers without tax, but also all those bookmakers who continue to pass on the betting fee to their customers, have a clear favorite in this Polish-Austrian duel in the Europa League qualifiers: the Hütteldorfer. Consequently, the odds for Wisla Krakow against Rapid Vienna are already clearly in favor of the visitors in the first leg, but they are not forced to take the game in southern Poland. Rather, the Green-Whites can also take a wait-and-see approach and, in case of doubt, live with the 0-0 draw, which would certainly be a solid starting position for the second leg in front of a home crowd
The mentality of the second-division side, who are considered to be the clear underdogs, may play a role, as may the influence of the fans at the Henryk Reyman Stadium. Nevertheless, we do not believe that the visitors from Austria will lose this first leg, which does not have a tendency to be a particularly high-scoring match.
In this context, we recommend the combined bet on the double chance X2 at under 3.5 goals, which we play at Betano at odds of 1.65 with five out of ten units
