Rapid Vienna came from behind last night to beat SC Magna 3-1 ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Celtic.
Despite the win and their impressive European form Rapid are sitting in fourth place in the Austrian League, the league that made Filip Sebo a goal machine.
Rapid have a poor record away from home this season having won just once in four league matches with two draws and a defeat.
Their only away win was last Wednesday against KSV Superfund where Andreas Dober scored the only goal of the game.
PERFORMANCES
Looking at their form this season it does seem that they keep their best performances for European matches although even that has been far from spectacular.
There’s no getting away from a 3-0 win over Bundesliga leaders SV Hamburg but their previous results weren’t out of the ordinary.
To reach the Europa League Rapid put out Aston Villa on away goals, we all know Martin O’Neill’s attitude to the Uefa Cup/Europa League and it’s fair to say that Villa have quickly got over the ko from Rapid and are safely into their favoured position lurking around seventh place in the Premiership.
Rapid had to get through three qualifying rounds to reach the Europa League which says a lot about their recent European pedigree.
In the second qualifying round they saw off the Albania side Kllaznia with an 8-0 aggregate before toiling through against APOP/ Kinyras Peyias of Cyprus on a 4-3 aggregate to face Villa in the play off.
FORTRESS
Rapid don’t have much of a recent pedigree but the old fortress Celtic Park is in need of some restoration with just one win from our last six home European ties.
Barcelona, Aalborg, Manchester United, Moscow Dynamo and Arsenal have all avoided defeat at Celtic Park in the last two years with only Vilareal, who had already qualified for the Champions League losing.
Tony Mowbray gave an honest yet brutal assessment of yesterday’s win at St Mirren which will be well received by supporters but probably not as welcome in the dressing room.
Everything that the Celtic manager said publicly will have been told directly to the players but in any walk of life it’s not pleasing to hear public criticism from the gaffer.
Working with the same group of players Mowbray has to raise their performance levels to get victories over Rapid and Rangers to send the club into the international break on a high.
CHALLENGING
Both games will be tough and challenging but most of the players currently at Celtic have came through tougher challenges successfully in the recent past.
Two victories, even if they are in a similar style to the St Mirren match will be warmly welcomed by the support.
The feel-good factor expected after Gordon Strachan’s departure hasn’t yet happened even though the supporters now have a manager that they can relate to and respect.
Mowbray has to be all things to all men but a couple of victories over the next week will grant him some breathing time as he attempts to put his mark on the team after admitting after the Hapoel defeat that ‘We are a million miles from where I want this club to be’.
