The first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round between Trabzonspor and Rapid Vienna takes place at Papara Park on Thursday evening.
Both teams aim to secure a spot in the newly-expanded 2024-25 Europa League, marking their first-ever encounter on the European stage.
Team Form and Recent Performances
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor advanced to the third qualifying round by defeating MFK Ruzomberok 3-0 on aggregate.
A solid 2-0 away win was followed by a narrow 1-0 victory at home, with Denis Dragus scoring the decisive goal. Under manager Abdullah Avci,
Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish Super Lig last season and are eager to make a mark in European competition after missing out last season.
The team has shown strong defensive capabilities, having kept two clean sheets in their recent matches. However, Avci emphasizes the need for improved finishing in the final third.
Rapid Vienna
Rapid Vienna has started the 2024-25 season in impressive form, winning all four of their competitive matches.
They dominated Wisla Krakow with an 8-2 aggregate victory in the second qualifying round, including a remarkable 6-1 win in the second leg. They also won their Austrian Bundesliga opener against Sturm Graz 1-0.
Head coach Robert Klauss has expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, acknowledging the challenging atmosphere they will face at Trabzonspor's home ground.
Team News and Lineups
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor will be without Maxi Gomez, Umut Bozok, Taxiarchis Fountas, and Huseyin Turkmen for this fixture.
New signings Stefan Savic, Pedro Malheiro, John Lundstram, Ozan Tufan, and Denis Dragus are expected to play significant roles. The possible starting lineup includes:
Possible Starting XI: Cakir; Malheiro, Mendy, Denswil, Elmali; Tufan, Lundstram; Visca, Canak, Trezeguet; Dragus.
Rapid Vienna
Rapid Vienna is dealing with injuries to Thierry Gale, Ismail Seydi, Ferdy Druijf, and Bernhard Zimmermann.
Jakob Scholler is a fitness doubt. Key players include Dion Beljo and Guido Burgstaller, who have been in excellent form. The possible starting lineup includes:
Possible Starting XI: Hedl; Oswald, Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Auer; Sangare, Grgic; Jansson, Seidl; Burgstaller, Beljo.
Prediction
Trabzonspor is favored to win the first leg due to their home advantage and strong defensive form.
However, Rapid Vienna's impressive start to the season suggests they will be a formidable opponent.
A narrow 2-1 victory for Trabzonspor is the most likely outcome.
Trabzonspor 
Rapid 
