SK Rapid vs Borac Banja Luka prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-03-12 17:45.
[p]A stoppage-time equaliser from the penalty spot last Thursday means this week’s UEFA Conference League last 16 second-leg tie between Rapid Vienna and Borac Banja Luka remains in the balance. With this game taking place in Austria, the hosts should be confident of advancing to the quarter-finals considering they haven’t lost any of their last eight European home fixtures (W5, D3).[/p]
[p]Their overall form is worrying, and a 2-1 Austrian Bundesliga away defeat at Hartberg on Sunday means that Robert Klauß’s side have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions (D1, L4) with their place in the Championship Round still not guaranteed ahead of the final round of fixtures. This competition and the Austrian Cup, where they have reached the semi-finals, could yet be their only route back into European competition next season.[/p]
[p]Borac Banja Luka are in a stronger position in their domestic league, ending the weekend in second place and with a game in hand on table-toppers Zrinjski who they trail by six points. In this competition, a last-gasp equaliser last week extended their unbeaten run to four games (W1, D3) during which only Rapid Vienna have scored against them.[/p]
[p]Away from home in Europe, the Red-Blues have struggled, winning only two of their 18 fixtures, with the first coming during their 1975/76 Cup Winners’ Cup campaign! It should be noted that their second such win came this season during the league phase, when they returned home from Nicosia with a 1-0 triumph and they’ll know a repeat of that result in Austria will see them through to the last eight.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: After making late substitute appearances in Rapid Vienna’s first four Conference League games in Europe this season, Nikolaus Wurmbrand has started the last three, scoring twice in the last home fixture and grabbing a first-leg assist. David Vuković scored Borac’s equaliser in the first leg and assisted their previous goal in Europe which means he has been involved in their only goals across their last five UEFA matches.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Borac Banja Luka have failed to score a first-half goal in any of their last five European away games.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]