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Moscow / Vienna. The European Cup and the Rapid were the desired goal before the season and have now become a secondary scene. Given the league standings at eight and five points from the end of the league, the Europa League on Thursday (16:50, live match in Dazn) against Spartak Moscow is at best a distraction for the league's tricks, the worst disturbances in preparation for the Innsbruck relay on Sunday. Even a victory point in the Russian capital would guarantee a final against the Rangers Rangers on December 13, with a win that would be the increase in absolute reach.
"We go there as an underdog, but we want to surprise," said coach Dietmar Kühbauer. The goal of guest performance in freezing temperatures of up to minus 10 degrees Celsius is to not play zero. "If you want it, you can not do it." Wanting to behave well and not focusing on the front would not be the best, "said the 47-year-old.
Double loading weighs heavily
Kühbauer, who started with a 1: 3 Rangers in his tenure, is struggling with his team's outside weakness. Until now, neither in the championship nor the Europa League has succeeded in complete success abroad. With a total of two wins, one draw and three losses, Kühbauer's Ligabilanz looks, after six rounds, exactly the same behavior as Damir Canadi, which he is unlikely to remember in Hütteldorf. The predecessor then missed the promotion of the Europa League on the penultimate round against Genk and a few months later it had become an unglamorous story.
Rapid has qualified for the semi-finals of the 2015/16 season – with a total score dropping by 0:10 against Valencia. If a spring with Cup of Europe is desirable, it seems debatable considering the speeches of the camp green-white. The double burden, the stressed player as sometimes less emphatic coach, was a reason for the crisis. The fact that the qualifications against Slovan Bratislava and Steaua Bucharest or the opening victory against Spartak (2-0) does not inspire self-confidence and does not prevent the legs from going well is more the sign of deficiencies in the control of the training and the policy of the cadres.
Offensive staff worried
Only 17 Rapid players flew to Moscow, retired against Lask Andrija Pavlovic and Christopher Dibon (muscular problems) joined the sick Thomas Murg. "It will not be easier, but we have to find a mix that works," Kühbauer said. Although Russia's seventh place under new coach Oleg Kononow shows a new face, Stefan Schwab has described as memorable the compact defensive performance of the first leg. "The Spartak will put a lot of pressure, we have to face it and keep the game open as long as possible," said the captain and was optimistic. "We can not reduce ourselves, but have to look ahead and a good match in Moscow can help us."
At least the statistics seem green-white in the advantage: in 15 duels against Russian and Soviet clubs, only one was lost, in 2004, against Rubin Kazan.
Europa League Group G
SP S U N TORS P
1. Villarreal 4 1 3 0 5 6
2. Spartak 4 1 2 1 -1 5
3rd row 4 1 2 1 1 5
4. Rapid 4 1 1 2 -5 4
("Die Presse", printed edition, 29.11.2018)
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