Turning the Tie: #RAPWIS Preview

August 1st also marks Wisła's return to European competition. The return match against Rapid Vienna will begin at 8:30 PM at the Allianz Stadium, with the White Star battling for advancement to the third round of the Europa League qualifiers.

Last week's home match against Rapid ended 1-2 for the Krakow team. Despite the final defeat, Wisła performed very well against their higher-ranked opponent, at times coming close to equalizing the two-legged tie. Most importantly, however, Kazimierz Moskal's men didn't seem to be intimidated by the Austrians. A level-playing match, free from inferiority complexes and with a mere one-goal deficit, allows them to confidently anticipate away success – and in this, the players in red shirts will be supported by a large delegation of fans from Krakow.

Both teams played their home matches over the weekend. Wisła Kraków shared the points with Polonia Warsaw at Reymonta Stadium after a goalless draw in pouring rain. SK Rapid, meanwhile, played in the round of 32 of the Austrian Cup, defeating third-division SC Neusiedl 2-0 away. Coach Robert Klauss therefore had more room to rotate his lineup, allowing him to rest his key players. However, this shouldn't matter on Thursday evening.

The winning team will face one of the Ružomberok/Trabzonspor teams in the next round. The first leg, played in Slovakia, ended 0-2 in favor of the visitors from Turkey. This means that the Trabzon club, well-known to Wisła fans, is now one step closer to the coveted group stage. However, the loser of the Polish-Austrian rivalry doesn't see their UEFA tournament adventure end. The team is relegated to the Conference League, where they will face Spartak Trnava.

Together to win!