Rapid Vienna face Arsenal in the Europa League group stage – football

Two of the three Austrian representatives in the Football Europa League were selected from among the main English opponents on Friday. Rapid Wien will face Arsenal in Group B, LASK will face Tottenham in Group J. Both groups also offer opportunities to advance: the Viennese also face Norway’s Molde FK and Irish champion Dundalk. The Linzers will also face Bulgarian champions Ludogorez Rasgrad and Royal Antwerp.

Probably the least attractive group, but at the same time athletic but difficult, went to the WAC. Carinthians will face him in Group K with CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord Rotterdam.

“After the first batch I thought it could not be worse, in the end it must be said that it is a good group for us that we cannot complain about. But that does not mean that we believe it will be easy for us,” the coach said in Vienna on Friday by Rapid Dietmar Kühbauer. Arsenal are the big favorites and in terms of quality they should be above the other teams in Group B. “The other two rivals are feasible, we will equalize for second place. We will try to advance, and that has to be our goal.” said the burgenlander of the route.

At eighth place, Arsenal have had a messy season in the Premier League, but thanks to their FA Cup triumph they still secured the international ticket. This season the “Gunners” are fifth after three games. “When I think of the Emirates Stadium, playing there opens my heart,” said Kühbauer full of anticipation. Austrian clubs have competed four times in the European Cup against the 13-time English champions, with two wins and two losses.

With Molde it is also against the four-time reigning Norwegian champions. Only one place was lost in the group stage of the Champions League due to the away goals rule in the duel with Ferencvaros Budapest. “I watched the game, they don’t have a bad team,” warned Kühbauer del Molde, former Dortmund club striker Erling Haaland.

The great unknown is Dundalk, the 14-time Irish champion. “It’s a team that I really don’t have on my radar,” sports director Zoran Barisic said. After the tie against Celje in the CL classification, the hurdles Inter Club d’Escaldes, Sheriff Tiraspol and Klaksvik were overcome with difficulty in the Europa League classification. “It is an interesting and certainly not easy group in which we are not the favorites. We are looking forward to the games and we want to sell ourselves as high as possible,” Barisic said.

His team will compete in a new green and white dress based on Mitropacup’s victory in 1930. It is still open if Rapid will play the games with the current team. The closer to the end of the transfer period on October 5, the more rumors about one or another outing in the Vienna countryside. “There has always been interest, but never the offer where we say we have to do it,” Barisic said. That could still change. “The closer to the end, the more aggressive player coaches become,” the 50-year-old is aware. Something can happen, but it doesn’t necessarily have to happen anymore.

On the other hand, there was positive news from UEFA on Thursday, especially as spectators are once again allowed in the group stage. What is less pleasant for the Hütteldorfer is that the regulation of up to 30 per cent of stadium capacity approved by UEFA is not allowed in Austria due to the official restriction of a maximum of 3,000 fans.

“We are in dialogue with politicians and we are convinced that, as UEFA or Germany are doing, it makes much more sense to focus on capacity as a percentage. It is not convenient that we skip the line with 3,000,” said Economico. manager Christoph Peschek his point of view. More than half of Rapid’s budget is related to the day. “The economic damage is enormous and under current regulation it is definitely in the double-digit million range,” Peschek said.

Game Dates: October 22, October 29, November 5, November 26, December 3, December 10