Conference League
2026-08-26 - Rapid Vienna vs Hearts
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Conference League Play Off Round Second Leg
Wednesday 26th August 2026 - Kick Off 5:45pm
Rapid Vienna
A back and forth First Leg in this Conference League Play Off Round tie ended in a 2-2 draw and Rapid Vienna have to be confident they can now force their way past Hearts to return to the League Phase of this competition. Last season's Conference League run was incredibly disappointing all things considered, but Rapid Vienna did reach the Quarter Final two seasons ago and will be expecting a strong run.
Of course it would be incredibly foolish to believe this tie has already been won after the 2-2 draw in Edinburgh and last season Rapid Vienna did need Penalties to beat Scottish Premiership Dundee United. Both Legs of that Qualifier ended 2-2, while Rapid Vienna lost all 3 home Conference League games in the Group Stage last season. However, confidence may have been restored following consecutive home wins in the previous two Qualifying Rounds.
Rapid Vienna had opened the season with 8 straight wins in all competitions and may have begun to think about a ninth when leading 0-1 at Tynecastle last week. They conceded twice to fall behind, but the 2-2 draw remains a solid result for the Austrian Bundesliga representative. Rapid Vienna are back home where they have won 5 in a row in all competitions.
Hearts
There is much more positivity around Hearts after a tough opening under a new manager, but prolonging European Football beyond the Qualifying Rounds looks increasingly unlikely. After beginning the season in the Champions League Qualifiers, it would be a bitter blow for Hearts Football Club to lose all 3 European ties played and be dumped out of all UEFA competition before the end of August.
It can come down to the luck of the draw and Hearts will feel they have had little of that having faced Sturm Graz, Benfica and now Rapid Vienna who all have much more recent European experience compared with The Jambos. The experience is building up, but Hearts have struggled to cope and that has been most evident away from home having suffered thumping defeats in the last two Qualifying ties played.
Hearts opened the season with 4 straight defeats in all competitions, but they are now unbeaten in 4 and have won twice in that run. They have had the weekend away from competitive action so they can prepare for this Second Leg, but Hearts have yet to win any of the 5 European ties played and they have lost 4 away games in a row in all competitions.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive meeting between the clubs in Austria.
Prediction
Things may have felt very different for Hearts if they had been able to hold onto the 2-1 lead late in the First Leg, but the 2-2 draw at Tynecastle means they are significant underdogs when travelling to the Austrian capital.
One club from the Austrian Bundesliga have already proved too much for Hearts to handle and Rapid Vienna's recent home form makes it very tough to look past them here.
They created the better chances last week in Edinburgh and Hearts may need more special moments in the final third to be put in a position to upset the odds.
It can always happen in Football, but Hearts have shown a little lack of experience in the Qualifying Round ties played over the last six weeks and that may be exploited by Rapid Vienna.
The Pick :
Rapid Vienna 3-1 Hearts
