The Goalkeepers
The national coach credits Alexander Schlager with good performances at the World Cup. Previously, Florian Wiegele was considered a strong contender for the future. However, LASK keeper Jungwirth and RBS goalkeeper Zawieschitzky have recently saved their way into the spotlight.
"What happens in two or four years?" Rangnick asks and elaborates, "with Zawieschitzky and Jungwirth, we have two very young goalkeepers whom we simply want to take a look at now. All the others who come into question, we already know. If not now, when?"
One of the duo will then move to the U21s after the second match to be in goal for the decisive World Cup qualifier there.
The Youngster
Austria's Markovic is the youngster in the squad. The 18-year-old was recently courted by the Serbian association as well. However, Rangnick does not want this to be understood as the decisive reason for the nomination.
"He plays regularly for Austria, and we believe he has a lot of potential for the future. If I compare him to 18-year-old Nici Seiwald, 18-year-old Xaver Schlager, or 18-year-old Konny Laimer… I believe the boy has a lot of potential," says the German about the midfielder.
Markovic is, "from what I've heard, a great kid from a really good family background."
The new centre-back
Felix Bacher will turn 26 in October. The Tyrolean last wore the red-white-red jersey in 2019, for the U20s.
Via WSG Tirol, he made it to Portugal, where he showed his capabilities for two seasons with Estoril, before moving to Olympique Lyon for 4.3 million euros in the summer.
"He hasn't been a topic at all until now, but he plays regularly for Lyon, which is not just any club," explains Rangnick.
The Bundesliga Players
Alongside Jungwirth, Zawieschitzky, and Markovic, other players from the domestic Bundesliga are also included: Veratschnig, Lang, and Sasa Kalajdzic.
"Six players from the Bundesliga – that's a good sign. Currently, at some clubs, there are at least as many Austrians playing as there were at Werder last year," Rangnick can't resist a small jab.
And yet, he also has good advice for these players: "A player who is supposed to be a help in the next two or four years must eventually make the move from Austria to one of the top leagues and continue to develop there."
The ÖFB Squad at a Glance:
Player | Club |
|---|---|
GOALKEEPER: | |
Lukas Jungwirth | LASK |
Christian Zawieschitzky | Red Bull Salzburg |
Alexander Schlager | Werder Bremen (GER) |
Florian Wiegele | Viktoria Pilsen (CZE) |
DEFENCE: | |
David Affengruber | FC Fulham (ENG) |
Felix Bacher | Olympique Lyon (FRA) |
Kevin Danso | FC Sunderland (ENG) |
Marco Friedl | Werder Bremen (GER) |
Philipp Lienhart | SC Freiburg (GER) |
Phillipp Mwene | FSV Mainz 05 (GER) |
Stefan Posch | FSV Mainz 05 (GER) |
Alexander Prass | TSG Hoffenheim (GER) |
Maximilian Wöber | Schalke 04 (GER) |
Nikolas Veratschnig | Red Bull Salzburg |
MIDFIELD: | |
Vasilije Markovic | Austria Wien |
Carney Chukwuemeka | Borussia Dortmund (GER) |
Konrad Laimer | FC Bayern (GER) |
Marco Grüll | Werder Bremen (GER) |
Romano Schmid | Frosinone (ITA) |
Xaver Schlager | Nottingham Forest (ENG) |
Nicolas Seiwald | RB Leipzig (GER) |
Paul Wanner | PSV Eindhoven (NED) |
Patrick Wimmer | TSG Hoffenheim (GER) |
ATTACK: | |
Christoph Lang | LASK |
Michael Gregoritsch | FC Augsburg (GER) |
Sasa Kalajdzic | LASK |
Junior Adamu | Schalke 04 (GER) |
On Standby: Nicolas Kristof (SV Elversberg, 0), Patrick Pentz (Bröndby, 18), Nikolas Polster (NEC Nijmegen, 0) - Leopold Querfeld (Union Berlin, 5/0), Jannik Schuster (Brentford, 0), Valentin Zabransky (Red Bull Salzburg, 0) - Thierno Ballo (AS Saint-Etienne, 1/0), Yusuf Demir (SK Rapid, 4/0), Jacob Peter Hödl (Sturm Graz, 0), Sascha Horvath (LASK, 0), Alessandro Schöpf (LASK, 35/6), Matthias Seidl (SK Rapid, 8/1) - Oluwaseun Adewumi (Hertha BSC, 0), Raul Florucz (Union Saint-Gilloise, 3/0), Erik Kojzek (Partizan Belgrade, 0), Nikolaus Wurmbrand (SK Rapid, 2/1)
