Vienna against the Scots' away woes: prediction for Rapid vs Hearts, 26.08.2026
On Wednesday, August 26, Vienna will host the second leg of the UEFA Conference League playoff between Rapid and Hearts. The showdown at the Weststadion kicks off at 18:45 local time, and with a 2-2 draw in Edinburgh, everything is back to square one: the winner of this clash books a spot in the group stage.
Rapid: a flawless start to the season ended with just a draw in Edinburgh
Johannes Hoff Thorup's side went into the first leg with an almost spotless record. Before traveling to Scotland, Rapid had strung together eight consecutive official wins, including an 8-0 demolition of GAK right before facing Hearts. In the Conference League qualifiers, the Viennese had already brushed aside Santa Coloma with a 9-3 aggregate and Paide with a 6-1 scoreline. The 2-2 draw at Tynecastle Park was the first match this season that the Austrians failed to win.
And the result in the first leg could have been even better for Rapid. The visitors took the lead thanks to Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao, but then conceded twice in quick succession in the second half—first via an own goal from Raux-Yao, then from a long-range strike by James Wilson. But Thorup's team didn't crumble, equalizing through substitute Nikolaus Wurmbrand. In the end, Rapid returned from Edinburgh with a solid 2-2.
There’s also a vital scheduling boost. The Austrian Bundesliga fixture against Salzburg, originally set for August 23, has been postponed to September 2 specifically to accommodate this European playoff. That means Rapid have had a full week to gear up for this crucial encounter. The opposition enjoy the same benefit: Hearts' league game against Falkirk was also rescheduled.
On the squad front, the hosts do have some absences. Defender Jakob Schöller suffered a thigh injury against GAK and is definitely sidelined for a while. Tobias Gulliksen missed the first leg against Hearts due to illness, and as of August 22, there's still no official update on his availability for the return fixture.
Hearts: home form improving, but away days remain a glaring issue
After a rocky start to the campaign, Wouter Vrancken’s side is slowly building momentum. Hearts thrashed Dundee United 4-0 in the league, hammered Inverness 6-2 in the League Cup, drew 1-1 with Benfica, and now 2-2 with Rapid. The Scots looked especially dangerous in the second half of the first leg, moving the ball forward quicker and exploiting open spaces more efficiently.
But the picture changes dramatically away from Tynecastle. Hearts have lost all three official away matches this season: 0-4 to Sturm, 1-2 to Aberdeen, and 1-6 to Benfica. That’s three defeats and a combined goal difference of 2:12. For a team now facing the pressure in Vienna, that's a major red flag.
Defensive problems persist for the Scots as well. Malcolm Fagan-Walcott is still recovering from an ankle injury, Stephen Kingsley is sidelined with a hamstring issue, and Craig Halkett continues his comeback from a serious Achilles injury. As a result, Vrancken has had to reshuffle the back line, deploying Oisin McEntee at center-back in recent games.
Probable line-ups
The official starting XIs for August 22 haven't been announced yet, so the first leg remains the primary reference point, especially as neither team played between the two European fixtures.
- Rapid: Hedl — Bolla, Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Horn — Seidl, Amane — Yusuf Demir, Dahl, Adamsen — Kara.
- Hearts: Reus — Altena, McEntee, Findlay, McCart — Renault, Spittal — Miller, Braga, MacPake — Kabore.
After impressive cameos, Nikolaus Wurmbrand and James Wilson are strong candidates to make the starting lineup, but both managers might stick to their tried-and-tested structures at kickoff.
Home advantage and Hearts' away woes tip the scales in Rapid's favor
The first leg showed that there’s no huge gulf in quality between these two sides. Hearts are more than capable of causing problems and already punished the Austrians for a few second-half lapses. So expecting an easy home win would be overly optimistic.
However, other factors look decisive ahead of the return. Rapid remain unbeaten in all official matches this season, had eight straight wins before the trip to Edinburgh, and now get to play the decider at home. Hearts, by contrast, have lost all three of their official away games, conceding ten goals in two European trips to Austria and Portugal.
With the tie level after the first leg, the Scots can’t just sit back and defend a lead. Rapid should see more of the ball, keep piling pressure on Hearts’ shaky defense, and create enough chances to wrap it up in regulation time.
Prediction: Rapid to win
