Rapid Vienna vs Lask Linz Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Austrian Bundesliga clash between Rapid Vienna and Lask Linz. On paper, this looks like a mismatch, but football's a funny old game, innit?

Rapid are sitting pretty in 3rd place with 17 points, while Lask are languishing down in 11th with just 7 points. That's a massive gap in quality, make no mistake. But here's the kicker - Rapid have been having a right mare of it lately. Three straight losses in competitive games, getting battered 4-1 by Lech Poznan and losing 2-1 to Red Bull Salzburg. Not exactly championship form, is it?

But here's where it gets interesting. At home, Rapid have never lost to Lask in their history - one win and four draws from five meetings. And Lask's away form? Absolutely shocking, mate. They're scoring just 0.6 goals per game on their travels and have lost four of their last five away matches. That's proper relegation form, that is.

Looking at the stats, Rapid are averaging 1.6 goals per game while Lask are barely managing 1.1. Rapid also create more chances - 15 shots per game compared to Lask's 13, and their shot accuracy is better too (35% vs 25.6%). The numbers don't lie, do they?

The head-to-head has been a bit of a goal fest recently though - we've seen 3-0, 1-3, 1-2, 1-1, and even a 0-5 in recent meetings. Both teams tend to score in Rapid's games (80% of the time), but given Lask's struggles away from home, I'm not so sure about that this time.

Rapid need to get their season back on track, and there's no better time than against a side that can't buy a win on the road. The odds of 1.80 for a home win look about right to me - decent value without being a steal.