Preview: Rapid Vienna vs. Zorya Luhansk - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated from a spot in this season's Europa League by just 180 minutes of action, Zorya Luhansk and Rapid Vienna go head-to-head at the Allianz Stadion on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League playoff.

With the second leg to come next week, each side will be looking to steal a march on the other and put themselves in the box seat.

Match preview

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Rapid Vienna suffered a second league defeat in four games as they were beaten 2-1 by SC Rheindorf Altach at the Cashpoint Arena on Sunday.

Dietmar Kuhbauer's men took the lead just shy of the hour mark through Marco Grull, before conceding twice in the final 10 minutes to Daniel Nussbaumer and Atdhe Nuhiu.

Die Grun-Weißen currently find themselves bottom but two on the log, but there is plenty of time for them to get themselves back on track.

In the meantime, the Austrian side have another continental assignment to navigate following their defeat to Sparta Prague in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.

While that defeat might have extended a 15-year absence from Europe's premier club competition, Thursday's hosts will be keen on featuring in the Europa League for the third time in four seasons.

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Zorya Luhansk continued their inconsistent start to the Ukrainian Premier League following a 1-1 stalemate versus FC Minaj on Saturday.

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh's 65th-minute strike helped Viktor Skrypnyk's men avoid a second consecutive defeat after Oleg Gorin had put them behind less than 10 minutes into the second period.

Unsurprisingly, Muzhyky are 9th on the standings as things stand, eight points shy of early frontrunners Desna Chernihiv.

Thursday's visitors are in serious need of a turning point and a victory here might just help kickstart their campaign on all fronts.

Team News

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Marco Grull came off the bench to record a third direct goal contribution in four outings, leaving his manager with a selection headache.

Fellow countryman Ercan Kara runs the risk of dropping to the bench after his unproductive display last time out which ultimately led to a half-time substitution.

Vladyslav Kochergin netted a treble for the visitors in their last game on the road, and he will be looking to have a similar impact away from home once again.

Raymond Owusu has made the most of the opportunities that have been handed to him this term, scoring twice in his last 12 minutes of action. which could see him rewarded with a first start of the season.

Rapid Vienna possible starting lineup:
Strebinger; Wimmer, Hofmann, Greiml; Auer, Grahovac, Schick, Schuster; Knasmullner, Fountas, Grull

Zorya Luhansk possible starting lineup:
Shevchenko; Favorov, Vernydub, Imerekov, Junior; Kochergin, Nazaryna, Buletsa, Gromov; Gladkiy, Owusu

We say: Rapid Vienna 2-0 Zorya Luhansk

As with every two-legged ties, the onus is always on the home team to secure a win in front of their fans. While we expect the visitors to put up a good fight, we are also tipping the hosts to emerge victorious come the full-time whistle.