Image: APA/ROBERT JAEGER
When Austria’s football team boss Ralf Rangnick answers the journalists’ questions on Tuesday (12.30 p.m.) in Dilly’s Wellnesshotel in Windischgarsten, the flood of failures that the 64-year-old German suffered before the first two European Championship qualifying matches for the 2024 finals in Germany against the group outsiders Azerbaijan (Friday, 8.45 p.m.) and Estonia (Monday, 8.45 p.m.) in Linz will be a central topic.
The worry lines are getting deeper, because meanwhile a total of six protagonists are not available. After the syndesmosis ligament injury of midfielder Xaver Schlager (Leipzig) and the cruciate ligament rupture of striker Sasa Kalajdzic (Wolverhampton), LASK goalkeeper Alexander Schlager signed off on Sunday due to illness. But that’s not all: three more cancellations followed on Monday.
Marko Arnautovic, who has scored 34 goals in 106 international matches, injured his forefoot in Bologna FC’s 2-2 draw against Salernitana. The 33-year-old striker walked on crutches, luckily no fracture was diagnosed in Vienna. But operations on the Gugl are excluded.
Also out are Freiburg defender Philipp Lienhart (muscular problems) and Mathias Honsak (Darmstadt), who is struggling with an adductor injury. Rangnick nominated debutant Flavius Daniliuc (Salernitana) for defense and Romano Schmid (Bremen) for offense.
Race against time for Alaba
There is a big question mark behind captain David Alaba. Although the 30-year-old traveled to the ÖFB course, it will still be a race against time for the Viennese. Should it work out, Alaba could play his international matches 99 and 100 in the European Championship qualifying doubles.
After all, the Spanish legionnaire has been making progress since his thigh injury sustained in Real Madrid’s 5-2 win in Liverpool on February 21, and Alaba has now started individual training. It wasn’t enough for the “Clasico” on Sunday. The “White Ballet” lost 1:2 at FC Barcelona, who are already twelve points ahead.
more from national team
Big rush for international match tickets in Linz
Bad news: Arnautovic is absent from the Linz international match
Will the Linz lawn become a problem for the national team?
ÖFB women defeated the Netherlands 2-1 after a late double strike
: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
