Thesis: Didi Kühbauer is a coach of Champions League caliber!

Florian Gabriel:

Didi Kühbauer has won everything there is to win in Austria. The logical next step is therefore to prove himself on the international stage as well.

After this fabulous season with LASK, both Kühbauer and the club have undoubtedly earned an appearance in the Champions League. Nevertheless, despite all the euphoria, one must remain realistic: with Celtic Glasgow, a team that has regularly featured in the highest European competitions for years awaits.

In terms of squad value alone, the traditional Scottish club is almost twice as valuable. The roles are therefore clearly defined. Nevertheless, I believe "coaching maestro" Kühbauer is capable of causing a surprise. He certainly has what it takes.

Should Kühbauer actually lead LASK into the Champions League now, that would be an achievement that would elevate his already impressive coaching career to another level. Then it might truly be time to consider a statue in front of the Raiffeisen Arena.

Jonas Pamperl:

There's really nothing left to discuss about his qualities as a coach. That's why reaching the Champions League would only be a deserved reward for Kühbauer.

However, as Flo already mentioned, Celtic enters the match as the favorite. What should not be underestimated is that only Robert Ljubicic, Alessandro Schöpf, Christoph Lang, and Krystof Danek among the Linz team have Champions League (qualifier) experience.

For me, it's more questionable whether LASK is a CL-caliber team. I hope so, but I have my doubts ahead of the duel with Celtic.

Jonas Pamperl:

We are answering this thesis just two days after Rapid's 8:0 victory against GAK – so how else can one respond but with full agreement?

Seriously: Rapid was really good against GAK, but the opponent, on the other hand, was quite desolate. The Hoff-Thorup squad will certainly carry momentum with them.

However, Heart of Midlothian should not be underestimated, even if Sturm clearly defeated the Scots. The team underwent a drastic upheaval and had only recently played together in that constellation at the time. In addition, there were physical deficits.

All of that is likely to get better rather than worse over time. So one should not be surprised if Rapid has significantly more to contend with against Hearts.

Florian Gabriel:

On most points, I can only agree with my colleague. Rapid, especially after the 8:0 against GAK, goes into the important playoff first leg with enormous self-belief.

Hearts, on the other hand, have been completely off form internationally this season. Against Sturm, they were eliminated without a whimper. And against Benfica, they were chanceless in the 1:6 thrashing in the first leg. At least they managed a 1:1 at home.

Similar to what Jonas outlined above, I also believe that the Scots are stronger now than they were in July against the Graz team. Nevertheless, it won't be enough against Rapid. The Hütteldorf team will ultimately progress confidently to the Conference League.

Florian Gabriel:

Whether a Conference League participation would directly be the worst thing in the world, I wouldn't entirely agree with that statement. However, it would undoubtedly be a bitter disappointment and another setback after many setbacks in the past three years.

Salzburg is the favorite against Swedish champions Mjällby and, on paper, should advance to the Europa League league phase. Under Danny Röhl, the "Bulls" appear significantly more stable than under his predecessors. Only their chance conversion still poses major problems.

But to come back to the thesis: Should the Salzburg team fail and have to compete in the Conference League, then at least the semi-final is mandatory. I would agree with that.

Nevertheless, my opinion remains clear: I'd rather have a Round of 16 in the Europa League than a semi-final in the Conference League. For Salzburg, the Europa League would be the significantly more attractive stage both sportingly and in terms of prestige.

Jonas Pamperl:

Here I have to disagree with my colleague on two points. Clearly, the Europa League is more prestigious, and missing out on it would be a tough setback.

At least as far as the UEFA coefficient ranking is concerned, a Salzburg semi-final in the Conference League would even be better. The "Bulls" would earn approximately (at least) 1,000 more points in this scenario compared to a Round of 16 exit in the Europa League.

Whether a Conference League semi-final would truly be so likely is another question. With Monaco, Brighton, Freiburg, Atalanta, or even Ajax or Braga, there are some teams that Salzburg would first have to beat – or at least avoid. It's certainly possible for teams from "smaller leagues," as Rapid's conqueror Djurgarden showed two years ago.

Jonas Pamperl:

I have to agree – unfortunately, from an Austrian perspective.

I see Austria-Braga as the most one-sided playoff tie involving an Austrian club. The two most valuable players of the Portuguese club combined have a higher market value than the entire Austria squad. Just to illustrate the differences.

However, the Violets do have a chance: it's less about Braga's tactical approach or a major weakness, but rather a wave of illness. Since almost the entire team was laid low with a stomach bug over the weekend, their league match even had to be canceled. Should some important players not recover in time, Austria could at least have some hope in the first leg.

Florian Gabriel:

I can only agree with this thesis as well. A mammoth task awaits Wiener Austria. After all, Sporting Braga reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.

Without a doubt, a completely different caliber awaits them than in the third qualifying round against Beitar Jerusalem. And even then, the Violets had a long struggle.

Nevertheless, they celebrated their first win of the young Bundesliga season against Hartberger over the weekend. That can hopefully provide a boost. And perhaps they can also benefit from the opponent's wave of illness in the first leg, as Jonas aptly described.