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Only the ten group winners have their ticket to the final. The runners-up and the top two Nations League group winners, who do not finish first or second in their qualifying groups, will play for the remaining three tickets to the World Cup in the play-off from March 24 to 29, 2022 13 of the 32 participants of the World Cup in Qatar come from Europe. Austria was last in France in 1998 at a World Cup. The exact time for qualifying is set on Tuesday.
ÖFB team boss Franco Foda watched the draw due to the coronavirus crisis at home in front of the TV. “This is a very interesting and balanced group,” was the response from the 54-year-old at ORF. “Denmark is definitely the easy favorite. Don’t forget you also won (1-0 in the Nations League on October 14, note) in England. But everything is possible in a group. “
Solvable task for Austria
In the qualifier for the Qatar World Cup 2022, Denmark, Scotland, Israel, the Faroe Islands and Moldova entered Group F with Austria.
“The Danes are among the best in the world”
“This is a group that I like to take. Not because it’s easy, but because we were drawn to teams that we know and are on an equal footing with. We definitely have a chance. A home game would be fine at the beginning, ”was the first reaction of team captain Julian Baumgartlinger.
However, Foda stated that it would not be easy to get first or second place. Since the Faroe Islands won their Nations League group (with Malta, Latvia and Andorra) undefeated with twelve points and the Scots came second behind the Czech Republic and ahead of Israel and as number 12 in the world, Denmark and Austria in the European Championship, “it is allowed in this The group does not underestimate a team.”
Foda said of the Danes: “They are among the best in the world, they have shown it in recent years. Like all Scandinavian teams, it is a very compact team that is very good on defense. They have a lot of athleticism in their game, they play fast, dynamically forward, with Poulsen (Leipzig, note) they have quality up front, also with Eriksen (Inter, note) the absolute playmaker. Well they are a very compact and mature team with experience, including Höjbjerg, who play midfield in England (Tottenham, note), to name just a few.
Meeting old friends
Foda, however, is confident: “If we play at the highest level, we have the opportunity to score one point or another against such a team.” The last friendly match with Denmark was on October 16, 2018 in Herning with 0: 2 lost.
David Alaba and company also meet three old friends: Israel has already been in a group with Austria five times, most recently in the European Championship qualifiers, before Moldova in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and qualifiers. of the 2016 European Championship. Qualification for the 2014 World Cup was the last comparison with the Faroe Islands. Scotland, on the other hand, was the last group competitor in 1996 and 1997 in the World Cup qualifiers, Denmark in 1991 in the European Championship qualifiers.
“Have the quality and all the options”
“Israel has a lot of quality, especially in the offensive area,” Foda said, recalling Austria’s 2-4 defeat on March 24, 2019 in Haifa. Above all, the German highlighted Eran Zahavi, who now plays for PSV Eindhoven, Hoffenheim legionnaire Munas Dabbur and former WAC forward Shon Weissman, who has been under contract with Real Valladolid since the summer. “Defensively they are certainly vulnerable,” Foda said, however.
Austria won the last duel so far last year in Vienna 3-1, at that time with Andreas Herzog as head of the Israeli team. It has not yet been decided who will succeed Austrian Willibald Ruttensteiner as team boss in Israel.
“I am always optimistic and I always want to win every game,” Foda said once again. “We have the quality and we look positively to the future, and we have all the options in this group. Of course we still have a back door open through the Nations League, but we will do our best to finish first or second in this group. “
ÖFB President Leo Windtner said of the draw: “It is a lot we can live with. The opponents are challenging but doable. The group is very balanced. We also face logistical challenges due to long trips to Israel and the Faroe Islands. Now we have to wait for the game plan to assess this factor even better. “
