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5 months ago
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Austria will go into this European Championships as one of the dark horses, believe it or not.
While history may not favour them, they will want to rewrite it following their impressive rise over the past two years under the guidance of Ralf Rangnick.
Before his arrival in April 2022, Austria were known to be dull and fans had fallen out of love with their own national team.
A high-pressing, high-energy style has woken up the football minnows and a new generation of supporters have something to look forward to for the first time in decades.
Das Team raised eyebrows and sent shockwaves around Europe last November when they comfortably beat Germany 2-0 in a friendly. It could be a sight we may well get accustomed to from this summer and beyond.
Mail Sport takes you through Group D's Austria, including the team qualified for the tournament, their history in the competition and who to look out for.
Austria will go into this summer's European Championships as one of the dark horses
Ralf Rangnick's men will want to rewrite history after their impressive rise in the last two years
Who is the manager?
Ralf Rangnick
Austria are managed by no other than former Manchester United caretaker manager Rangnick.
While his short of tenure at Old Trafford was unsuccessful, the opposite can be said of his team in charge of Austria.
Das Team have won 12, drawn three and lost five of their 20 matches under his stewardship.
The 65-year-old's stock has risen and he recently rejected an offer to become Bayern Munich's new manager.
Austria have won 12, drawn 3 and lost 5 of their 20 matches under Rangnick's management
Who is the star man?
Marcel Sabitzer
The most notable name in the Austria camp is captain David Alaba. However, he will not be involved as he continues to recover from an ACL injury he suffered while playing for Real Madrid last December.
'It is a great shame of course that he isn't available to us as a player. Over the last weeks I've have had close exchanges with David. He stressed he wanted very much to still be with us,' Rangnick said.
'Therefore, I am very happy to say this will be possible after a good discussion with his club Real Madrid.'
Marcel Sabitzer remains one of Austria's most decorated players and he will go into the tournament on the back of an impressive season which saw him play a crucial role in Borussia Dortmund's run to the Champions League final.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan striker Marko Aurnatovic is Austria's second highest all-time top scorer and he will be keen to add to his 36 goal tallly for the nation.
Captain David Alaba will miss the Euros as he continues his recover from an ACL injury
Marcel Sabitzer remains one of Austria's most decorated players and will be full of confidence
How did they qualify?
Austria were a force in Group B of the qualifiers. They came second, ahead of Sweden, Azerbaijan and Estonia, and just a point short of table toppers Belgium.
Rangnick's men picked up an impressive 19 points from a possible 24, scoring 17 goals and conceding just seven in the process.
Sabitzer was the star man for Austria in the qualifiers with four goals and two assists in seven appearances. But he wasn't the only player who shone.
RB Leipzig forward Christoph Baumgartner chipped in with three goals while SC Freiburg winger Michael Gregoritsch also netted three times.
The experienced Arnautovic was involved in just four of the eight matches but managed to score twice.
Sabitzer was the star man for Austria in the qualifiers with four goals and two assists
Fixtures (all UK times)
It's a difficult group Austria have been placed in and they would do well to get out of it. But rule them out at your own risk.
They open their campaign against of the tournament's favourites France on June 17 before taking on Poland on June 21 and Holland four days later.
Austria vs France - Monday June 17, 8pm at Dusseldorf Arena
Austria vs Poland - Friday June 21, 5pm at Olympiastadion, Berlin
Austria vs the Netherlands - Tuesday June 25, 5pm at Olympiastadion, Berlin
Austria will play one of the tournament favourites France in their opening match
Tournament history
This year's Euros will be Austria's fourth having been involved in 2008 (as co-hosts), 2016 and 2020. Their best performance came in Euro 2020 when they reached the round of 16.
Odds to win the trophy
Austria have odds of 66/1 to lift the trophy with Sky Bet. Odds are correct at the time of publication.
Provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Niklas Hedl (Rapid Vienna), Tobias Lawal (Linz), Heinz Lindner (Union Saint-Gilloise), Patrick Pentz (Brondby)
Defenders: Flavius Daniliuc (RB Salzburg), Kevin Danso (Lens), Stefan Lainer (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Stefan Posch (Bologne), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Vienna), Gernot Trauner (Feyenoord), Maximilian Wober (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Midfielders: Thierno Ballo (Wolfsberg), Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Marco Grull (Rapid Vienna), Florian Kainz (Cologne), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Vienna), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg)
Forwards: Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan), Maximilian Entrup (Hartberg), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg), Andreas Weimann (West Bromwich Albion)
English (US)