Rangnick: ÖFB opponent France “absolute tournament favorite”

The ÖFB selection will be in Düsseldorf on June 17th against the French, led by Kylian Mbappe, who they already met in the Nations League last year. There was no chance at 0-2 away, but the Bleus were challenged at 1-1 in Vienna.

Team boss Ralf Rangnick still looks back fondly on the game in the Happel Stadium. “We saw that not only do we not have to hide from such an opponent, but we also have the chance to beat such an opponent,” explained the German on Saturday after the draw for the European Championship groups in Hamburg.

• Read more about the draw here

For Rangnick, the distribution of roles is beyond question. “We don’t need to talk about it – France are the toughest opponents we could face, the absolute tournament favorites.” However, the 65-year-old was also able to take positive things from the draw. “On the other hand, we know that we have to be there right from the first game and play at full speed.”

An essential prerequisite for a surprise against France is to be able to compete with the best players. “We now have to hope that everyone stays healthy and that no one gets injured,” said Rangnick, also with a view to the further games against the play-off winners from Poland/Wales/Finland/Estonia (June 21) and the Netherlands (25 June) each in Berlin.

Rangnick described the “Oranjes” as a “team that always wants to find technical solutions and dominate the opponent with possession of the ball.” After all, you are dealing with offensive opponents. “The good thing is that we face opponents who will often play along. Personally, I prefer that to opponents who are at the back with all their might,” explained Rangnick.