Austria vs Germany

Germany make the short trip over to Austria for their final friendly of the year in Vienna on Tuesday evening.

The hosts for the upcoming European Championships are at an unfamiliarly low ebb. Julian Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick, the first manager to ever get sacked by the German FA since the position was created in 1926, in September. After an unconvincing victory over the US, Germany drew with Mexico and were undone on the counter at home to Turkey on Saturday.

Another defeat for Germany would be their sixth of 2023, equalling the highest tally of losses in a single calendar year across the national team’s entire history.

Austria, by stark comparison, have lost one match all year. Ralf Rangnick has overseen a remarkable turnaround since parting ways with Manchester United in the summer of 2022, steering a squad with more grit than glitz through a straightforward qualification campaign.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming friendly.

Austria vs Germany H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (Last Five Games)

Former Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic is a doubt after sustaining a knock during his nation’s routine 2-0 victory over Estonia last Thursday. In a squad that shares around the goals, Arnautovic’s tally of two can only be bettered by three teammates even though he has started just twice.

Florian Grillitsch was left on the bench against Estonia while he nurses a hamstring injury that may limit his involvement against Germany.

Not only are Austria led by a German coach, but eight of the 11 players that started their last fixture play in the Bundesliga. Real Madrid’s David Alaba obviously isn’t included in that number but won the German top flight ten times with Bayern Munich.

Austria predicted lineup vs Germany (4-3-3): A. Schlager; Posch, Lienhart, Alaba, Wober; X. Schlager, Seiwald, Baumgartner; Laimer, Gregoritsch, Sabitzer.

Just as Marc-Andre ter Stegen had established himself above Manuel Neuer in Germany‘s goalkeeping pecking order, a back complaint has forced him to withdraw from this month’s international camp.

Neuer, only recently back from a long-term injury himself, was not called up, leaving Kevin Trapp as the likely custodian on Tuesday. Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha is struggling with a hip problem and Chris Fuhrich is also a doubt with illness.

Full-back has been a problem area in Germany for years. Even when they won the 2014 World Cup, Joachim Low started centre-back Benedikt Howedes on the left side of defence. Surprisingly, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz was awkwardly thrust into that position against Turkey.

After scoring the opener, Havertz conceded the penalty which Yusuf Sari converted to win the game 3-2. RB Leipzig’s David Raum is a more natural alternative available for Nagelsmann.

Germany predicted lineup vs Austria (4-3-3): Trapp; Henrichs, Tah, Rudiger, Raum; Goretzka, Gundogan, Kimmich; Sane, Fullkrug, Wirtz.

When Rangnick moved from manager to sporting director at RB Leipzig in 2019, he selected Nagelsmann as his replacement in the dugout. The pair are two high priests of the high-pressing philosophy which Rangnick has honed since stumbling across the concept while playing in a friendly for sixth-tier Viktoria Backnang against Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s Dynamo Kyiv in 1983.

Yet, while Rangnick has had a year-and-a-half to fine-tune his side’s choreographed movement off the ball, Nagelsmann has understandably struggled to organise this rabble of a Germany side in three games.

“We defended a bit too aggressively,” Nagelsmann sighed after the defeat to Turkey. “We didn’t push ourselves to our limits enough.”

Germany have enough talent laced through the squad – particularly in the form of a red-hot Leroy Sane – to cause their hosts problems. But Austria’s superior cohesion may prove decisive for Rangnick against his former protege.

Prediction: Austria 2-1 Germany

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