Europa League, Thursday, 08.08.2024 at 19:00
One hurdle cleared, but two to go! Trabzonspor and Rapid Vienna meet in the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday. Two very illustrious names who will face each other for the first time ever. The aim: to create a good starting position for the second leg.
Both teams started in the 2nd round of qualifying, and did so with completely different results. While the Austrians produced a wild spectacle, Trabzonspor took a very defensive approach and won efficiently.
Of course, this makes it even more difficult to predict who will ultimately leave the pitch as the winner. Or will there be no winner at all in the end? After all, it would not be atypical not to take complete risks in the first duel and approach it cautiously
I will of course try to answer this very question. The hosts’ squad is worth considerably more, and the league is also likely to be a little stronger. However, that alone does not automatically guarantee success.
In my Trabzonspor Rapid Vienna betting tip, I’ll tell you why I’m shying away from the risk of a win bet and instead betting on the double chance 1X. Since that’s not enough and the home side are safe, there’s the addition of the Under 4.5 goals
The bookmaker’s forecast
Trabzonspor didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory in the 2nd round, but progressed solidly overall. For our bookmakers, that’s enough to make the Turks favorites on Thursday with odds of 1.85 on average.
Rapid Vienna, who haven’t exactly been far ahead on the international stage in recent years, are considered to have the worse odds at 1.65. The draw is at 3.75.
But: These odds only cover the match in Trabzon. When it comes to the overall odds for advancing, the Turks are only ahead with 1.80 to 1.95, so Rapid shouldn’t be without a chance of making the play-offs!
Analysis: Trabzonspor vs Rapid Vienna
Trabzonspor ended a somewhat dubious season in third place. Why dubious? Quite simply because the team finished miles behind giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
In the end, the club knew that this third place would be enough to qualify for the Europa League. Trabzonspor have been regular participants in recent years, with their last exit in round 3 coming in 2015/16 (against Skopje).
This is exactly where the team from Trabzon has now arrived, having previously faced Ruzomberok. The fans were actually expecting a clear win against the relatively unknown representative from Slovakia.
In fact, it was not a clear victory. They won the first leg 2:0, although it is certainly worth mentioning that the all-important goal was scored in stoppage time and the game was open for longer than expected
Quota analysis
We know Trabzonspor from recent years as being quite strong at home, and Vienna also struggled against Krakow away from home. As a result, I would rather go for a home win in the 1×2 bets.
At the same time, the higher individual quality means that I believe the hosts will be able to score the first goal. Should they take the 1-0 lead, you could secure odds of 1.65 at Betano
Will Trabzonspor’s style from round 2 or Rapid’s prevail? I’m more with the Turkish representative here and would agree on a 2:0 result bet, which brings odds of 9.50.
Does Trabzonspor have everything under control at home?
In front of their own fans, Trabzonspor then played out the second leg cleanly, but without shining. A goal from Denis Dragus made it 1-0, meaning that the statistics show two wins to nil.
The new Süper Lig season kicks off next weekend and a defeat in Europe would certainly not be a confidence booster for Trabzonspor. At the same time, however, the first leg will probably not decide everything.
Interestingly, Trabzonspor have never played a team from Austria before, so the clash against Rapid Vienna will be a premiere in two senses
A dream start for the Viennese?
The stars are fit, and new signings Pedro Malheiro, Cihan Canak, Ozan Tufan, Denis Dragus and Okay Yokuslu are also ready for action. Stefan Savic, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic and Anthony Nwakaema also came to the Black Sea on a free transfer.
The trip to Turkey is an immensely important one for Rapid Vienna. Whenever they have tried to qualify for the Europa League, the path has always led through a successful 3rd round, including the last attempt in 2021/22.
The team kicked off the new Bundesliga season last Sunday, and how! Champions and cup winners Sturm Graz were a really tough opponent, but the Viennese team showed a very stable side and won 1:0.
A result that defensive fans would have liked to see in the Europa League. Rapid had to face Wisla Krakow in the 2nd round of qualifying, starting with a 2:1 away win.
In the home game, the team of Robert Klauß, the former coach of 1. FC Nürnberg, was under pressure, but mastered the task brilliantly and celebrated a 6:1 victory together with the fans.
The score was already 5:0 at half-time, with Guido Burgstaller scoring three times. It is also worth mentioning that Isak Jonasson scored three times, the right winger having come from Cartagena (La Liga B) for just 250,000 euros.
Three games, three wins – that’s exactly how the Whites had imagined the season would start. And apparently they already know that there is both a defensive and a spectacular face to show
My tip:
Rapid Vienna are desperate to advance to the group stage of the Europa League, but the Austrians face a tough opponent in Round 3 in the form of Trabzonspor. The third-placed team in the 2023/24 Süper Lig scored with individual class and the squad is almost three times as valuable.
However, the team found it all the more difficult against Ruzomberok, standing firm defensively and only doing what was necessary in attack. We saw the opposite from Rapid against Wisla Krakow. Nevertheless, I believe that the Turks might just be that little bit stronger.
However, as I still believe that a game on roughly equal terms is in the offing, I have decided to bet on the following tip:
Trabzonspor will not lose by a maximum of four goals!
