Rapid has to beat LASK: The decisive European Cup showdown!

Rapid has to beat LASK: The decisive European Cup showdown!

On May 28, 2025, SK Rapid Wien will face LASK in the decisive game for a European Cup starting place. Coach Stefan Kulovits sees the game as a “small finale” after a disappointing season for his team. The first meeting will take place on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in Linz. The winner of this match qualifies for the 2nd round of the Conference League in July, which is very important for both teams.

Rapid performed better in the championship group, while LASK dominated in the qualification group. Kulovits is demanding improvement from his team in order to prevail against LASK, who have been unbeaten in nine games in a row since the beginning of the year and have not conceded a goal in their last six games. LASK also won the last eight duels against Rapid and won four of the last five home games.

Team news and coaching changes

At Rapid, Kulovits plans to play in defense with Nenad Cvetkovic; Lukas Grgic could also be used again. However, Mamadou Sangare will not start training again until the end of the week. While LASK's captain Philipp Ziereis is leaving the club, Guido Burgstaller also announced his departure from professional football. With the exception of long-term injuries, all players are available at LASK, which makes the situation challenging for both coaches, who are acting on an interim basis.

Maximilian Ritscher, interim coach at LASK, demands that his team avoid mistakes and play their own style in order to maintain their chances of winning the European Cup. So the tension in this game is high, especially since both teams will be replacing their coaches in the near future.

Five-year ranking and European Cup climate

Austria is currently ranked 16th in the UEFA five-year ranking, with an overall ranking of 13th. SK Rapid scored 4.55 points for the five-year ranking this season by reaching the quarter-finals of the Conference League. The Viennese showed a strong group phase, but were unable to survive against Braga in the quarter-finals.

In contrast, LASK performed disappointingly in the five-year ranking and only scored 0.7 points, lost all eight European Cup games and was therefore unable to achieve its season goals. While SK Sturm achieved 2.0 points and RB Salzburg 2.2 points, Austria Wien is in a bad position with 0.2 points. This decline could result in Austria losing future European Cup places, posing a serious threat to domestic clubs.

The international competition is becoming more and more pressing in the fight for the five-year ranking. Norway has quickly overtaken Austria in the five-year rankings and is now in 12th place, while Sweden is fighting with Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Conference League. Austria's lead over Switzerland is only 1.25 points, which underlines the urgency for the Austrian clubs to do well in the remaining games and improve their own five-year ranking.

The upcoming matches are therefore not only crucial for the respective clubs, but also for the entire Austrian football landscape, which is under pressure to secure their places in the European competition.

Reported in summary Vienna.at about the upcoming showdown between Rapid and LASK, during Ball-loving the five-year ranking analyzed. Additional information on international competition and its influence on Austria's ranking is provided 90minuten.at.