Before the European Cup match

Chaos! Rapids Stöger grumbles about “nonsense”

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Rainer Bortenschlager)

You don't see something like this every day! A snow chaos prevented a meaningful Rapid final training session before the European Cup clash with Rakow Czestochowa. "We could have spared ourselves this nonsense", coach Peter Stöger grumbled to the "Krone" newspaper.

Rapid landed in Poland on Wednesday afternoon, a white winter wonderland stretched out before the players' feet. A little later, things took a turn for the curious: a snow chaos prevented a Rapid training session in Sosnowiec (Poland) - because the pitch was spared. The huge Slaski Stadium in Chorzow was also closed. The team bus was then diverted to the Ludowy stadium, where a tractor suddenly had to help clear the pitch.

The pitch had to be cleared for Rapids' final training session.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Rainer Bortenschlager)

"If we had known, we would have trained in Vienna before they sent us around the world," said an annoyed coach Peter Stöger.

Video: "Krone" reporter Rainer Bortenschlager reports from the final training session:

"Meaningful preparation for a European Cup match definitely looks different," is how "Krone" reporter Rainer Bortenschlager (above in the video), who is on site, sums it up. "Rapid probably haven't experienced this very often in their long European Cup history." In the end, training was still possible despite the difficult circumstances.

First three-pointer?
On the sporting side of things: Hütteldorfer travel to Polish runners-up Rakow Czestochowa as bottom of the Conference League with no points and need a win on Thursday (18:45, sportkrone.at live ticker) to have a realistic chance of surviving the winter on the international stage. It will be interesting to see if the game is as turbulent as the final training session ...