Northern Ireland v Austria

SCOUTING REPORT Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Austria ahead of tonight’s UEFA Nations League clash in Belfast.

They managed 59% possession in their 2-1 victory in Norway and were unlucky to lose 3-2 to Romania, having had 63% possession and 19 shots on target to Romania’s 13. David Alaba has been playing as a centre half for Bayern Munich of late but is likely to operate as left back for Austria today if selected. STRENGTHS Austria have a fluid approach to their game which can help them overload their opponents in attacking situations. In the away victory against Norway last month it was common for midfielder Stefan Ilsanker to drop into a back three for Das Team alongside centre backs Stefan Posch and Martin Hinteregger, enabling full backs Stefan Lainer and Andreas Ulmer to position themselves in advanced areas of the pitch. Talisman Marko Arnautović was absent for those recent matches against Norway and Romania and is also missing again tonight. Marcel Sabitzer of RB Leipzig was expected to lead the line instead but he is also out. Augsburg striker Michael Gregoritsch, who scored in the Nations League match against Norway last month, could well be operating as the lone striker. At the other end Austria’s backline is well organised while midfielders such as Julian Baumgartlinger and Stefan Ilsanker are able to sit deep and provide defensive cover as and when required.

LOWDOWN Austria are familiar opponents for Northern Ireland, with the two nations having met in UEFA Nations League Group B3 in 2018. ‘Das Team’ won both head-to-head fixtures with the boys in green and white during the campaign although it was Bosnia and Herzegovina who topped the group to gain promotion to League A. Towards the end of last year Franco Foda’s side achieved qualification to the subsequently delayed UEFA Euro 2020, which will be held in the summer of 2021. Austria won six and drew one of their 10 qualifying matches to finish as runners-up in Group G and achieve an automatic spot at the tournament along with group winners Poland. TACTICS Austria have typically operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation since Franco Foda took charge of the national side in January 2018. Ahead of the November 2018 clash between Northern Ireland and Austria, it was mentioned in this Scouting Report series that Das Team were compact with a relatively direct style of play. Recent performances have demonstrated something of a shift in approach from Foda’s side, who dominated possession and produced good passing displays in their recent UEFA Nations League matches away to Norway (4 September) and at home to Romania (7 September).

POSSIBLE LINE-UP GK Alexander Schlager RB Stefan Lainer CB Stefan Posch CB Martin Hinteregger LB David Alaba DM Julian Baumgartlinger DM Stefan Ilsanker AM Christoph Baumgartner AM Florian Grillitsch AM Xaver Schlager FWMichael Gregoritsch

Many thanks to journalist Fabian Zerche (www.spox.com/at) for his assistance in the writing of this article. Many thanks to journalist Fabian Zerche (www.spox.com/at) for his assistance in the writing of this article.