Good evening Rapid-Fans and Guests from Birmingham,Football can always be counted on to throw up surprises, and in the last few days our beloved sport certainly hasn´t disappointed in that respect! First came the rather bizarre ÖFB (Austrian FA Cup) cup draw, whereby our first 11 were drawn against our reserves. And today our team meets english premier league ever presents Aston Villa for a second time in two seasons. Almost a year to the day since our first meeting, our two sides clash again in the Play off round. I’m sure that last season’s encounter with the Villians is still on the lips of Rapid fans everywhere. All green white fans can look back on the nights in Vienna and Birmingham with extremely fond memories. They were two sparkling hours in our clubs history, firstly in the Hannapi Stadium and then, as Peter Pacult so eloquently put it, "with the most beautiful defeat in the club’s history", in Villa park.In order to reach this stage of the competition, we have already come through two previous ties. On entering the competition in the second qualification round we were paired with Lithuanian minnows FK Suduva Marijampole. The plucky Lithuanians gave a good account of themselves before being disposed of 5-3 on aggregate. The next round paired us with another unkown quantity in the shape of Bulgarians PFC Beroe Stara Zagora. Safe passage was secured in a professional manner, a 1-1 draw in Sofia being followed by a 3-0 home success. Following a sticky start to the domestic season, our side is now gathering momentum in the championship. A last minute home victory over champions Salzburg was followed up by a smashing 2-0 success away in Graz against Sturm. Following recent positive form, and with the backing of our tremendous support, we look to consolidate a positive position in the tie ahead of the return leg in the West Midlands in a weeks time.  I hope we can all enjoy an exciting match played out in the correct spirit. Let’s hope, that you can once again inspire our team to another glory night in green and white.All the best and a safe journey home,Rudi Edlinger Club President SK Rapid Wien
31.08.2015