An emotional comeback in the national soccer team

Austria’s football team boss Ralf Rangnick is testing a debutant from Rapid Vienna in his squad at the start of the European Championship year. Offensive man Christoph Lang is in the squad for next week’s training camp in Marbella as well as the following tests against Slovakia (March 23 in Bratislava) and Turkey (March 26 in Vienna). In addition, Stefan Lainer is making a comeback in the national team nine months after his diagnosis of lymph node cancer.

Lang secured a starting position at Rapid from the start and could play all three positions in the offensive area, said Rangnick. “We felt the need and therefore decided to take a closer look at Christoph with the senior national team,” added Rangnick before the penultimate course before the EURO.

Right-back Lainer from Borussia Mönchengladbach was last active in the ÖFB team in September 2022 against Croatia (1:3). “We were in contact the entire time, so I know how difficult the time was for him. I found it remarkable how he dealt with it mentally,” said Rangnick, who recently perceived Lainer with the same grit and commitment as before has.

Due to numerous injury-related absences, Salzburg defender Flavius ​​Daniliuc, Sturm Graz midfielder Alexander Prass as well as offensive players Muhammed Cham (Clermont Foot) and Andreas Weimann from English second division club West Bromwich Albion are also returning to the team. This also applies to Rapid central defender Leopold Querfeld, who, like Lang, has not yet played an international match.

Star striker Marko Arnautovic is missing from the 26-man squad that Rangnick announced on Monday evening in Vienna after the muscle strain in his thigh he suffered on Saturday, as are captain David Alaba and attacker Sasa Kalajdzic after they tore their cruciate ligaments.

Alaba is currently completing his rehabilitation in Madrid and often travels to Innsbruck to reassess his healing process, explained Rangnick. “If everything goes normally, he will come to us in Vienna in three days. Both to the hotel and to the game.” In addition, the injured central defenders Gernot Trauner and Samson Baidoo as well as Sturm Graz attacker Manprit Sarkaria are not there after breaking his ankle.

Rangnick, on the other hand, called up Philipp Lienhart. The Freiburg defender has not played a game in more than two months following groin surgery. Patrick Wimmer, who was recently injured for a long time, is also there. Cologne captain Florian Kainz, among others, is missing from the squad. Rapid players Marco Grüll, Guido Burgstaller and Niklas Hedl, who were involved in the verbal outbursts after the Vienna derby, are also not nominated.