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For the Austrian soccer team, the kick-off for the decisive phase of the Nations League will be given on Sunday (8:45 pm / ORF 1 live). With a win at the Happel Stadium in Vienna over the tail of Northern Ireland, the ÖFB team in the last match of Group 1 of League B on Wednesday would once again be a point against Norway in the Prater.
In any case, the decision on the first position will only be made in a duel with the Scandinavians to equal points who will compete in Romania on Sunday. Austria could still reach first place on its own even if it lost to Northern Ireland, but then it would have to win against Norway. The team leader, Franco Foda, does not even deal with those scenarios. “We really want to win because we just want to go to the last game feeling good,” said the German.
A success above number 41 in the FIFA world rankings (Austria ranked 25th) would be the ÖFB’s fifth international victory in a row and, at the same time, the fifth en suite against Northern Ireland. Most recently, David Alaba and Co. beat Belfast 1-0 a month ago. With Foda, the Northern Irishmen have been beaten three times by a goal difference in the last two years. “Although we always deserved to win, the results were always close,” said the 54-year-old.
A close match against the bottom of the table can be expected with only one point for Sunday. “The Northern Irish are a very strong team, they often play with long balls. We have to counter that. The little details will be decisive. “
It may also play a role as the Northern Irish suffered a severe blow on Thursday with 2-1 at home after extra time in the European Championship play-off against Slovakia. “But they also had one less day off in October than we did and before that they had a big game (note: EM play-off semi-finals), and then they saw that they had the substance to turn the game away until the final can. We should not worry about the opponent’s tiredness, ”Foda said.
Austria’s dress rehearsal on Wednesday was a success in terms of results, but the performance at 3-0 in Luxembourg was not really satisfactory. “We have to play better than in the first half, but we will also do it. There will be some new players, ”Foda said.
Unlike the game in the Grand Duchy, Foda can once again turn to Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer, Stefan Lainer, Xaver Schlager, Andreas Ulmer and Cican Stankovic. The situation with Hoffenheim pro Christoph Baumgartner, who is currently in quarantine at his club due to numerous crown cases, remains open. In return, Marko Arnautovic could play his first international match since a 2-1 win against North Macedonia on November 16 last year.
The Chinese legionnaire is expected to arrive in Vienna on Saturday and is supposed to undergo the mandatory PCR test shortly after landing. Even if the 31-year-old does not work through final training on Saturday night, he is still a problem for the Northern Ireland match. “He knows our processes, even if he hasn’t been there for a long time. He is a footballer of instinct and can decide a match with an action, as a coach you have to take that into account, ”said Foda.
In addition to the use of Arnautovic, it is also open who will act as the first goalkeeper this time. Unlike Pavao Pervan, Stankovic and Alexander Schlager are regulars at their clubs, but Foda recently trusted the Wolfsburg pro four times in a row. “Pervan also played Luxembourg because he looked very confident in the previous three games. Who plays on Sunday, we will decide on Saturday, ”said the ÖFB coach.
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