June 21 – Austria manager Ralf Rangnick insists his team is ready to face Poland in today’s matchup in the German capital, as Polish star Robert Lewandowski eyes a return to the starting team after missing out last week due to injury.
“Lewandowski is the man in Poland and will probably play,” said Rangnick (pictured) in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
“He is clearly a different threat, but we will look to play the same way whether he starts or not.”
The Pole’s former teammate Marcel Sabitzer, who captains Austria, spoke highly of Lewandowski.
“I played with him in Munich and he was absolutely outstanding. He can score from anywhere, inside or outside the box. We have to be cautious and know to defend that,” said Sabitzer.
Austria opened their Euros account with a difficult loss to France thanks to an own goal from defender Max Wober. Even so, they have plenty of quality and proved to be a tough nut to crack against one of the strongest sides on the planet.
Rangnick said: “The stadium will be sold out tomorrow – the weather will be amazing and the pitch is in perfect condition. Many, many Austria fans are on their way to Berlin as we speak. We have to do our part and give back to them.
“The importance of the match is clear. Whoever wins the match tomorrow has the best chance to progress. We have to win – it is absolutely clear to us.
“We will play to win, as this is our best chance to get important points. To beat Poland, we need the same mix of aggression and compact play as we saw against France, but also joy on the pitch, optimism to move up the pitch and score.”
The conference followed comments made by Poland wide man Przemyslaw Frankowski, who seemed to indicate that Poland have the stronger squad now that Lewandowski is available for selection.
“Frankowski said they have a better squad? We will see. Let’s see how it happens on the pitch,” finished Rangnick.
“In the Euros, the pressure is always there,” Sabitzer said. “In the team we have a way of coping, we are always open a and honest with each other. We are always in communication with each other and the message is clear: want to win the match tomorrow.
“If we bring all our quality on the pitch, we have a very good chance to do that.”
Now fully focussed on mending Austria’s tournament hopes after a difficult opening match versus France, Sabitzer will lead the team at the Olympiastadion Berlin – a ground that isn’t always a good omen for the Austrian.
“I’ve played here in the cup twice and lost twice,” Sabitzer continued. “That being said, I’ve scored at this stadium from 35 metres so my confidence is high.
“My role is different with Austria, there are situations where I have to play wider. For Dortmund, I am all over the pitch. I play where the coach tells me to- I know I can play better than I did against France. I feel good, I am healthy and I am ready for tomorrow.
“I have scored good goals across my career. Long distance goals are a very important aspect to the game, you just have to be brave and shoot sometimes. We really have to define ourselves through distance goals and take advantage of our strength in this area.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1732315840labto1732315840ofdlr1732315840owedi1732315840sni@g1732315840niwe.1732315840yrrah1732315840