Rapid Wien v Shakhtar Donetsk background
Monday, August 10, 2015
Article summary
Rapid Wien meet Shakhtar Donetsk for the first time in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, with the Ukrainian side yet to avoid defeat in competitive games in Austria.
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Article body
Rapid Wien pulled off a shock by eliminating Ajax in the last round and will have to raise their game again if they are to deny Shakhtar Donetsk a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
Form guide
• Rapid are unbeaten in four home matches against Ukrainian teams (W3 D1) since a 4-1 home reverse to Dynamo Kyiv in the 1985/86 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.
• Shakhtar's only previous visits to Austria both ended in defeat: they crashed 5-1 to Austria Wien in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round and then – under Mircea Lucescu – went down 1-0 at FC Salzburg in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, though they won the return leg 3-1 to progress.
• Rapid last featured in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2005/06. They caused a stir this term by overcoming Ajax to make it to the play-offs.
• Shakhtar have not missed a UEFA Champions League group stage campaign since 2009/10, when they succumbed to Romania's Timişoara in the third qualifying round.
Links and trivia
• Shakhtar's Marlos and Taison were in the Metalist Kharkiv side that beat Rapid 2-0 at home in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage before losing 1-0 in Austria. They came up against current Rapid players Thomas Schrammel, Mario Sonnleitner, Deni Alar and Steffen Hofmann.
• The second leg of the Rapid tie falls the day after Shakhtar forward Olexandr Gladkiy's 28th birthday.
• Shakhtar boss Lucescu signed off as Romania coach with a 4-0 home victory over Austria in September 1986.
• Lucescu previously coached another Rapid – Rapid Bucureşti – in two spells (1997–98 and 1999–2000).
