Nations League

LIVE: Austria Aims for Second Win Against Kosovo

Austria is aiming to take home three points.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Matchday 4 of the Nations League. Kosovo hosts Austria; we’re covering the game live—see the live ticker below. The score is currently 0–0. 

Here’s the live ticker:

Austria’s national soccer team can take a big step toward returning to the top-tier League A in Prishtina in the Nations League. Ralf Rangnick’s squad won the home game against Kosovo—coached by former ÖFB head coach Franco Foda—3–1 in Vienna a week ago. According to Rangnick, the poor field conditions at Fadil Vokrri Stadium will play a role. “At best, it’s a meadow—if not a plowed field.”

The Austrian national team got its first look at the field Saturday afternoon during its final training session in the Kosovar capital. “I’ve rarely seen a pitch as unkempt as this one,” said Rangnick. “At this level, pitches should look different at this time of year. It’s hard to understand—we’re coming off a stretch of good weather. But we’ll try to make the best of it and ultimately succeed with our style of play.”

Ralf Rangnick(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

  In hindsight, the field conditions would also explain why so many shots went wide during Kosovo’s home game against Ireland (1–0) last week. “I’m not saying this to complain from an Austrian perspective,” Rangnick emphasized. “This affects both teams. Kosovo has a technically very strong team. It will matter which team copes better with these conditions.” The game plan will “look a little different” due to the external circumstances, the head coach revealed.

Alexander Schlager Returns to Goal
According to Rangnick, World Cup goalkeeper Alexander Schlager will be back in goal in place of Florian Wiegele, who made his second international appearance in the recent 2-2 draw in Ireland. Up front, the ÖFB coach will choose between Michael Gregoritsch and Junior Adamu. “Sasa Kalajdzic definitely won’t start.” Rangnick explained this by citing Kalajdzic’s 95-minute appearance in Dublin. “He’s probably played more in that one game than in all his games combined since returning to LASK.”

Alexander Schlager(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

  In central midfield, Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald have been regular starters recently, and Konrad Laimer is also pushing for a spot on the team following his comeback in Ireland. Kevin Danso, who was suspended in Dublin, and attacking midfielder Patrick Wimmer are likely to have secured their spots in the starting lineup. All 23 squad members participated in the final training session. According to Rangnick, there’s a slight question mark regarding Carney Chukwuemeka. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder experienced a muscle cramp at halftime in Ireland. “We’ll have to see if he’s 100 percent ready.”

Resilience Needed
Rangnick left open whether he would give Felix Bacher—the last outfield player not to have featured in any of the Nations League matches so far—his debut. “He comes across as very focused, but also down-to-earth,” said the German about the Tyrolean, who is a regular starter in central defense for Olympique Lyon. Bacher is also well-liked by the team for his personality and character. “It’s quite possible that he’ll see some playing time.”

  In the first leg, Adamu started as the lone striker and scored his first international goal. “We had more possession and more scoring chances back then, but we were still very efficient. It will certainly be more challenging here,” Rangnick said. “It’s possible the game will remain tied for longer, that we’ll need a bit of patience, and that we’ll have to endure certain situations.” The field certainly won’t get any better as the game goes on. Rangnick: “It will be important that we stay persistent and find the right approach.”

Strong Starting Position
With a win, the Austrians would be out of reach of Kosovo in the final two rounds in November. If Ireland then loses (8:45 p.m.) in Backa Topola against Israel, the ÖFB squad would at least be assured of second place in the group—and thus, in addition to a spot in the promotion playoff in March, a spot in the second pot for the draw of the European Championship qualifying groups on December 6 in Belfast. Austria can no longer reach the first draw pot, from which it was drawn in the previous World Cup qualifiers.

“Of course, from our perspective, it would be important and great if we could wrap up this series with a win,” said Rangnick. But the same applies to Franco Foda and his team. “It’s an extremely important game for them, too.” Even with a draw, the Austrians would still go into the November doubleheader as the table leaders. According to Rangnick, the top priority is not to lose. “But our style of play isn’t geared toward playing for a draw.”

Franco Foda(Bild: AFP/JURE MAKOVEC)

The ÖFB team is supported by more than 500 traveling fans, 450 of whom are in the away fan section. The stadium in downtown Prishtina is sold out with just under 13,000 spectators. Of its last eleven home games, Kosovo has lost only one—the World Cup playoff final against Turkey at the end of March (0–1). However, in their last twelve international matches, the Austrians have also suffered defeats only at the World Cup against the eventual finalists Argentina (0–2) and Spain (0–3).