Outage for the ÖFB

Michael Gregoritsch injured shortly before the game

Bad news for ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick ahead of the opening Nations League matches in Slovenia (September 6) and Norway (September 9). Striker Michael Gregoritsch was injured shortly before Freiburg's season opener.

Austria's injury-plagued national soccer team has another personnel worry ahead of the upcoming training course at the beginning of September: according to his club SC Freiburg, striker Michael Gregoritsch suffered a torn muscle fiber and was absent from the season opener against Werder Bremen on Saturday. Gregoritsch will therefore not be available for the Nations League games in Slovenia and Norway on September 6 and 9.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Bitter: Gregoritsch was about to play his 60th international match against Slovenia. The Freiburg striker is also "chasing" his compatriots in the German Bundesliga this season: with 57 goals, the Styrian is Austria's number five behind Toni Polster (90), Willi Huberts (67), Martin Harnik (66) and Andi Herzog (59). His 250 appearances currently make "Gregerl" number 7 in the red-white-red ranking: Alaba is the lone leader with 298 matches, but second-placed Herzog (264 matches) is already within reach for Gregoritsch. 

Personnel worries
With Sasa Kalajdzic (cruciate ligament rupture) and Maximilian Entrup (knee), ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick is already without two strikers. Florian Kainz (ankle), Xaver Schlager, David Alaba (both cruciate ligament rupture), Gernot Trauner (thigh) and the two goalkeepers Alexander Schlager (meniscus) and Tobias Lawal (thigh) are also absent.