MRI needed
Calf injury! Wanner’s status for the Algeria match is in doubt
Austria’s national soccer team is worried about Paul Wanner’s availability ahead of Sunday’s (4 a.m. CEST) final World Cup group stage match against Algeria in Kansas City!
The midfielder took a blow to the calf during Monday’s match against Argentina (0–2). “We’re assuming it’s nothing serious,” said ÖFB sporting director Peter Schöttel. Instead of training, however, Wanner underwent an MRI scan on Thursday morning (local time) in Santa Barbara.
The match against Argentina marked only the second time in his young ÖFB career that Wanner had been in the starting lineup. The 20-year-old took the blow shortly before being substituted in the 68th minute. According to the ÖFB, the Austrian-German dual citizen, who plays for PSV Eindhoven, received treatment on Wednesday; on Thursday, the team decided to have him undergo an MRI scan as a precaution. Wanner is expected to travel to Kansas City with the team on Thursday afternoon (local time) in any case.
Playmaker Wanted
Against Argentina, Wanner had replaced Christoph Baumgartner as the playmaker in attacking midfield; Baumgartner had suffered a severe thigh muscle injury two weeks before the start of the tournament. “I think Pauli played a very, very good game. He was very, very active and had a lot of touches on the ball,” Baumgartner praised.
In the World Cup opener against Jordan (3–1), Konrad Laimer had previously started in the unfamiliar position behind the lone striker. “Konni, of course, approaches it very differently; that game also required a different approach,” Baumgartner noted. “I don’t want to compare all that to myself, because we’re very different types of players, no matter who ends up playing.”
Schöttel assured that plans are already in place for the match against Algeria. “The fact is that with Christoph Baumgartner, we’ve lost an absolutely key player (for the tournament),” said the ÖFB sports director. “But we’ll find a solution for this match as well.” Aside from Wanner, all squad members took part in training at the team camp in Santa Barbara on Thursday before departing for Missouri.
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