Rapid Wien II vs Sturm Graz II Prediction

Ag man, this is what you call a proper six-pointer! Two teams fighting it out at the bottom of the 2. Liga, and someone's got to walk away with the bragging rights. Let me tell you, looking at these numbers, there's only one team that looks like they actually want to win this weekend.

Rapid Wien II might be sitting in 13th place, but their recent form shows some proper fight. They've picked up 4 wins in their last 10 games, including that beaut of a 4-0 away victory at Stripfing and a solid 2-1 home win against Austria Klagenfurt. Sure, they got beaten 2-0 by First Vienna last time out, but that happens in football, nee? At home, they're scoring 1.2 goals per game and have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 10 - not too shabby for a team near the bottom.

Now Sturm Graz II... jislaaik, these boys are struggling big time. Rock bottom of the table with only 9 points from 13 games, and their away form is shocking. They're scoring just 0.75 goals per game on the road and conceding nearly 2 goals every away match. Their recent results tell the story - a 0-3 home loss to WSPG Wels (who are also near the bottom) and only 2 wins in their last 10 games. That's not the form of a team that's going to travel and get results.

When these two have met before, it's been pretty even with 3 draws in 6 matches, but Rapid did win the last encounter 1-0. The thing is, Sturm just can't score away from home, and Rapid have shown they can put the ball in the net when they're playing at their place.

The home advantage here is massive. Rapid win 40% of their home games while Sturm only manages 25% on their travels. With both teams needing the points and Rapid looking much more likely to score, I'm backing the home side to get the job done.