Conference League

SK Rapid vs FC Copenhagen LIVE from 9pm

Will Rapid celebrate at home against Copenhagen?

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

6th round of the Conference League: SK Rapid host FC Copenhagen. The game kicks off at 9pm and we will be reporting live (ticker below).

Here is the live ticker:

The sporting aspect of Rapid's last game of the year is overshadowed by Guido Burgstaller's serious head injury. With a home win over FC Copenhagen today, the Hütteldorfer would almost certainly avoid the play-offs in the Football Conference League and only enter the round of 16. However, the focus in the run-up to the game was on the health of the club's figurehead.

Guido Burgstaller

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Coach Robert Klauß reported an improvement on Wednesday, but also said that Burgstaller would not be allowed to play soccer for "at least three months". "It's sad, but we have to deal with it and find solutions," said the German. "One of our best players is out, who also has a lot of experience in games like this. He's a role model for the team. But we have other players who have to or can step into the breach."

Klauß and sporting director Markus Katzer spoke to the players on Sunday about the Prima case. "It's important that we deal with this together as a team," said Klauß. The topic is "still present. But from Monday onwards, we managed quite well to focus on the game. I didn't have the feeling that it interfered with the preparation, but it's part of it. It can also release energy," the 40-year-old suspected.

Robert Klauß

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Grgic: "We have to fight for Burgi"
Midfielder Lukas Grgic added: "We have to stick together now and fight for Burgi." The midfielder promised that they would give it their all. "We will give everything. Every player has a responsibility to keep their heart on the pitch. We're well equipped to deliver a great game."

Lukas Grgic

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

FC Copenhagen, currently two points behind the ninth-placed Rapid team in 16th place, are the strongest opponent in the league phase so far, according to Klauß. "We know how difficult the task is." The Danes are top of their national league and have an attacking style of play. "The opponent's approach is good for us. We will get into transitional moments and find spaces. But we have to defend well because our opponents have more quality than our last opponents," warned Klauß, who says he held talks about a move to Copenhagen's arch-rivals Brøndby two years ago.

His side are level on points with eighth-placed Jagiellonia Bialystok and seventh-placed Cercle Brugge, but three points against Copenhagen could theoretically be too few for the top eight, who are automatically through to the round of 16. "If a win isn't enough, it's our own fault," Klauß emphasized, referring to the bitter 3-1 defeat at Omonia Nicosia the previous week.

Home game against a "big opponent"
More than 23,000 tickets for the clash with Copenhagen had been sold by midday on Wednesday, with 2,000 fans from Denmark expected to attend. "We're looking forward to the match. It's a home game that is almost sold out, against a big opponent with a big name and a lot of quality, who still played in the Champions League last season (note: out in the round of 16 against Manchester City)," explained Klauß.

Rapid now face their 31st competitive match of the season. They have not won in their last five games. "Of course we have a trend in terms of results, which is not good. But if you lump all the results of this season together and don't look at them chronologically, we've played a very good six months, with the exception of the cup elimination against Stripfing," said Klauß.