Only nine more sleeps before Austria starts Düsseldorf against France in the European Championship,It is the third in a row for which they have qualified. The direction is right in Austrian football before today’s final EM-Test against the Switzerland in St. Gallen (6 p.m., live ServusTV).
It is that Test of strength with a neighbor,who you still have to look up to a little despite all the new-found self-confidence. Not necessarily in terms of their current form, but certainly in comparison to their more recent successes.
EURO 2024 is the tenth (!) final roundin which the Swiss are participating in this millennium. Five World Championships has been played continuously since 2006, four times the round of 16 And with the exception of 2012, they have participated in every European Championship since 2004. Most recently, in 2021, they failed in the Quarterfinals against the Spaniards – and unfortunately in the penalty shootout.
On Saturday, the Austrians can show that they have caught up with the Swiss. In St. Gallen, 35 kilometers from the Austrian border, they will face each other for the first time since 2015 (1:2 in Vienna). The anticipation of the EURO, where they will be ranked 1st in Group A, is Hungary, Scotland and host Deutschland is big. The Kybunpark is sold out with 17,000 fans.
All Swiss Stars
According to reports, the Swiss fans will see their best eleven with all the stars. These are primarily Leverkusen director Granit XhakaInter Mailands Goalie Yann SommerManchester City defender Manuel Akanji and the 1.69 meter tall dribbler Xherdan Shaqiriwho after playing for Bayern, Inter and Liverpool now plays for Chicago Fire in the USA. Yes, in terms of individual class, the Swiss are probably still a bit ahead of the Austrians. In terms of market value, the squad of their neighbors is also rated higher at 285 million compared to 243 million for the Austrians.
So what, the Austrians will think once again and do everything they can to put the next higher rated nation after the Italians, the Germans or the Turks in their place. Setting the ÖFB record of seven victories in a row (under Marcel Koller, note) after six recent successes Ralf Rangnick but less. “This record is not important to anyone,” the team boss shrugs.
Rather, it is about once again Self-confidence to refuel before the European Championship. How will that work? There will be no tactical experiments in the last European Championship test either. Instead, it’s about refining your own strengths. For example, intensive pressing. And the Swiss are the ideal benchmark for that.
Only if you manage to consistently disrupt Granit Xhaka’s circles will you be successful against the Swiss. The 31-year-old is considered one of the best players in the world when it comes to Pressingresistenzalways keeps the ball cleanly in the team and uses his teammates brilliantly. No player in the German Bundesliga played as many balls successfully into the attacking third as the Leverkusen number six last season. Konrad Laimer, Christoph Baumgartner or Nicolas Seiwald So there is a lot of hard work waiting in the centre.
No help yet from Marcel SabitzerThe 31-year-old has not yet fully processed the defeat in the Champions League final with Dortmund. “The nights were short, the images kept coming back. We are professionals, but there are also people behind it,” the Styrian asked for understanding. He has that from Rangnick anyway: “We are well-rehearsed, so we agree that it would be an unnecessary risk to use him.”