Goodwin: Dundee United have to go to Vienna with belief and confidence

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has told his players they must show confidence when they take on Rapid Vienna in Austria.

United must find a way past a team that reached the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals last season if they are to progress in the competition, with AIK Stockholm or Hungarians ETO FC Gyor awaiting the winners in the play-offs.

Rapid lost to Djurgarden of Sweden after extra time in April following a run which saw them beat the likes of Copenhagen.

The 32-times Austrian champions, who lost to United in the European Cup quarter-finals in 1984, produced a 6-2 aggregate win over Decic of Montenegro in the second qualifying round and have won both of their domestic matches this season.

Goodwin told DUTV: “Rapid Vienna are a really decent European team. They got as far as the quarter-finals in this competition last year.

“They’ve got a huge turnover financially. They’ve spent a lot of money this summer on transfers, I think they’ve spent four or five million.

“So we are expecting a really, really difficult fixture. But it’s exciting.

“It’s exciting for the supporters as well, who travelled in unbelievable numbers last week to Luxembourg. We are expecting similar again in Vienna.

“The players will give everything for the jersey.

“Of course it’s going to be a difficult evening, but we have to go out there with belief and confidence that we can get a result and take it back to Tannadice and hopefully still be in the tie.”

Meanwhile, Dutch striker Jort van der Sande has returned to his homeland to join second-tier side SC Cambuur on a permanent transfer.

The 29-year-old forward failed to score in 35 appearances during his sole season at Tannadice.

A club statement read: “Everyone at Dundee United would like to thank Jort for his professionalism, commitment and contributions during his time in tangerine, as we extend our best wishes for his future endeavours.”