Archive for December 21, 2024
Dreaming of a European run
How will Rapid fare in the Conference League knock-out phase? “Now we want to win this one”, youngster Nikolaus Wurmbrand said audaciously after scoring a brace against FC Copenhagen on Thursday.
The top eight teams from the league phase (with Rapid ranking fourth after their 3-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Thursday) have received a bye to the round of 16, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th contest knockout play-offs in February to reach the next round.
Rapid have reached a European round of 16 for the first time since 1997/98. Rapid have twice played in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. In 1985 they played Everton FC in Rotterdam and lost 1-3; in 1996 Rapid’s opponent in the final in Brussels was PSG (0-1).
Rapid’s possible opponents in the round of 16 to be played on the 6th and 13th of March 2025 are the winner of Vikingur Reykjavik (ISL) vs Panathinaikos (GRE) or Borac Banja Luka (BIH) vs Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN). The other winner from these pairings will face Fiorentina, who form a draw pair with Rapid.
Who Rapid will face for definite will not be known until Friday, February 21, when the draw for the round of 16 takes place.
Assuming Rapid then reach the quarter-finals, Djurgarden and Lugano would be the nominally strongest opponents. A clash with Chelsea could take place in the semi-finals. Even in the event of an exit in the round of 16, the Viennese club can expect to earn over ten million euros from UEFA bonuses.
These are the dates for the knock-out phase on the way to the final which will be played in Wroclaw, Poland (in a stadium with a capacity of 42,771):
EXTRA TIME 
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