Rapid welcomes Milan

Elite flair and a full house for the anniversary

Matthias Seidl (left) takes over the captain's bow from Guido Burgstaller.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Rapid will host the great AC Milan on Saturday (17.30) to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The Allianz Stadium will be sold out with around 24,000 fans against the Italian runners-up and Champions League contenders. This will be preceded by a green-white legends match. Coach Klauß is impressed, Seidl is the new captain.

Up the ribbon. And off to the photo session - Matthias Seidl's pride at being the new Rapid captain was clear to see. "It's really cool, an honor," said the team player to the "Krone", "I'm really looking forward to the new task."

That the 23-year-old attacker was chosen after Burgstaller? "Matti is a role model for commitment and hard work, a well-mannered, intelligent boy who is not afraid of anything," enthused coach Robert Klauß at the season opener media event - and revealed that Louis Schaub was also a topic of discussion and is now on the team council...

Coach Robert Klauß with Louis Schaub at the media appointment.

(Bild: Daniel Widner)

In other words, the homecomer who is also eagerly awaiting the final test on Saturday (17:30) for the 125th anniversary against the great AC Milan. Before that, there will be a legends game (with Herzog, Boskovic, Maier etc.) and Dibon and Querfeld will be bid farewell. "Milan is a top opponent, we're all looking forward to it," said "Euro-Louis" Schaub, for whom the return to Rapid after six years "was the easiest change so far".

Klauß, who asked for a closed-door test against Admira in the morning "so that everyone gets 90 minutes", is also looking forward to the Italian runners-up and Champions League starters, who do not yet have many stars on board (including Leao, Theo Hernandez, Pulisic, new signing Morata) - the English central defender Fikayo Tomori should be there, and at 40 million euros market value is more expensive than the entire Rapid squad (30 million). "A very good opponent, a sell-out crowd - good to push and see where the boys are at," said coach Klauß. "The preparation went really well. It's nice to have the squad fixed relatively early on and to have a high level of competition." Although Grüll, for example, "as a very goal-scoring winger, cannot be replaced 1:1."

Fikayo Tomori (here in the Premier League against Salzburg) should start for Milan.

(Bild: Associated Press)

But the new players are well integrated, the European Championship players are now involved - "and we are starting with zero points, which is good," said the 39-year-old, who relies on a 4-2-2-2, causing a smile - background: Rapid was "redeemed" from the two-point deduction due to fan misconduct.

Klauß' goals for the new season? "The first is to reach the European group stage." The Europa League qualifiers kick off on Thursday with the first leg at Wisla Krakow (Poland). And in the domestic league? "We want to close the gap to the top three. But we're not going to set fixed targets just yet."

Managing Director Steffen Hofmann nodded, revealing that the number of members has grown by 30 percent since the new presidency in 2022. "We now have 20,600. This increase is very pleasing."