Euro 2008 Team Preview: Austria

Andreas Ivanschitz Austria Euro 2008FOOTBALL – Euro 2008 Team Preview – AUSTRIA

125/1 with Stan James to win Euro 2008.
16/1 with totesport to win Qualifying Group B (includes Germany, Croatia and Poland).

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Past Championships

Austria, co-hosts for Euro 2008 have a 100% record in the tournament. Having built sides capable of qualifying for the World Cup, most recently in 1990 and 1998, the Austrians have never qualified for the European Championships, in twelve attempts. At least this time automatic host qualification has eliminated that burden.

1960 – Did not qualify

1964 – Did not qualify

1968 – Did not qualify

1972 – Did not qualify

1976 – Did not qualify

1980 – Did not qualify

1984 – Did not qualify

1988 – Did not qualify

1992 – Did not qualify

1996 – Did not qualify

2000 – Did not qualify

2004 – Did not qualify

Qualification

As co-hosts Austria simply didn’t have to bother with the hassle of qualifying. No competitive matches since their last World Cup qualifying campaign ended in 2005 won’t help their chances of competing this summer though, even with a partisan crowd behind them.

Coach

A former Austrian international as a player, coach Josef Hickersberger returned to the job of national coach in January 2006 after previously leading the side to the 1990 World Cup finals. 59-year-old Josef Hickersberger is perhaps best remembered as the man in charge when Austria were beaten 1-0 by the Faroe Islands in a European Championship qualifier in 1991. That disgrace saw him relinquish the post and go into club management with Austria Vienna, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Rapid Vienna before being lured back to the national side with the prospect of a European Championships tilt on home soil. He’s enjoyed little success since taking over the reins of the national team for a second time in 2006, although Austria did at least record a 2-1 win over fellow Euro 2008 co-host Switzerland with Hickersberger in charge.

Key Players

Attacking midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz may prefer his left foot to his right but it hasn’t stopped the Austrian press dubbing him “the Austrian Beckham” for his high media profile. On a two-year loan at Panathinaikos in Greece, Ivanschitz will bear the brunt of fostering much of Austria’s attacking creativity. Having overcome some personal differences with Hickersberger and Ivanschitz in the past, uncompromising defender Emanuel Pogatetz will be a tough nut to crack in the Austrian defence. Having built a fearsome reputation in Russia, Pogatetz is not a man to back down from a challenge. German-born Werder Bremen striker, Martin Harnik, qualifies for the national team thanks to an Austrian father, and the 20-year-old scored just six minutes into his Austria debut, after coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in August 2007.

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    Related Articles:
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Poland
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Greece
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Turkey
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Switzerland
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Spain


    • Written by John Lamerton · Filed Under Euro 2008, Football 

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