The Austrian national team head into the 2020 European Championships with an unwanted record of having never managed to escape the group stage. This year they will be hoping to end that record.
The team at Last Word on Football has put together a country profile so that you can have the complete rundown ahead of the competition kicking off in June.
Everything You Need to Know About Austria Ahead of Euro 2020
Who is the Austrian National Team Coach?
Franco Foda is a well-respected individual within German and Austrian football circles.
The 55-year-old had a successful career in the Bundesliga with clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen (113 appearances) and Stuttgart (69 apps), and the former defender also made two international appearances for West Germany.
Having retired from playing football in 2001, Foda moved into coaching immediately as assistant coach of Sturm Graz – the team he was playing for at the time of retirement.
He soon took over the reins on a more permanent basis. A brief spell with Sturm Graz’s reserve team followed, but he returned to first-team duties in 2006 when he became head coach.
During his time with the south-eastern Austrian team, he won the 2010/11 Bundesliga and 2009/10 Austrian Cup.
Foda spent just over a year with second-division side FC Kaiserslautern before returning to Storm Graz in 2014. Three years later, in October 2017, Foda was announced as manager of the Austria national team.
In his three years since taking over the Austrian team, Foda has taken Austria to League A promotion in the Nations League and achieved qualification to the European Championships.
Who Has Been Selected in the Austria Squad For Euro 2020?
Foda has selected a number of individuals well known in football to represent Austria later this summer. David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic are two popular names within the squad; Watford‘s Daniel Bachmann has also been called up.
Goalkeepers: Daniel Bachmann (Watford), Pavao Pervan (Wolfsburg), Alexander Schlager (LASK)
Defenders: David Alaba (Bayern), Aleksandar Dragovic (Leverkusen), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen) Martin Hinteregger (Frankfurt), Stefan Lainer (Monchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Stefan Posch (Hoffenheim), Christopher Trimmel (Union Berlin), Andreas Ulmer (Salzburg)
Midfielders: Julian Baumgartlinger (Leverkusen), Christoph Baumgartner (Hoffenheim), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Stefan Ilsanker (Frankfurt), Konrad Laimer (Leipzig), Valentino Lazaro (Internazionale), Marcel Sabitzer (Leipzig), Louis Schaub (Luzern), Xaver Schlager (Wolfsburg), Alessandro Schopf (Schalke)
Attackers: Marko Arnautovic (Shanghai Port), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Sasa Kalajdzic (Stuttgart), Karim Onisiwo (Mainz)
Potentially Last International Competition For Experienced Marko Arnautovic
At 32-years-old, it is an honest and realistic statement to claim that this summer’s Euros may be Marko Arnautovic’s last appearance at an international competition.
The former West Ham United striker scored 21 goals in 59 appearances during his time in London. At his new club, Chinese outfit Shanghai Port, he has netted 19 times from 30 matches.
Three goals in five matches for the Austria U21s led to Arnautovic being labelled the best Austrian footballer of 30 years by then-manager Andreas Herzog.
His Austria senior debut came against the Farao Islands on October 11, 2008; it took until October 2010, however, for the striker to score his first international goal.
Chances have proved to be more limited in recent months with Arnautovic making the matchday squad just twice since November 2019 – one of which was a substitute appearance.
With Arnautovic ageing and being left out of the Austrian squad, it may not be too long before the 32-year-old has to make a decision – or is forced into one – about his international future.
Group Stage Fixtures For Austria at Euro 2020
Austria’s Euro 2020 campaign gets underway against North Macedonia – a country that has never competed in the European Championships. This should prove to be a relatively straightforward victory for Foda’s squad.
Next up in Group C, however, is a clash against the Netherlands. The Dutch have a wealth of talent in their squad and will prove a much more difficult challenge than North Macedonia.
Their final group stage match, against Ukraine, could prove crucial. If the Austrians can pick up a point – and have beaten North Macedonia – then they will have a good chance of reaching the knock-out stages.
They will, however, have to avoid embarrassment against the Netherlands as goal difference may prove to be the deciding factor.
Austria v North Macedonia – June 13, 5pm BST
Netherlands v Austria – June 17, 8pm BST
Ukraine v Austria – June 21, 5pm BST
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