In the event of a defeat against Benjamin Sesko and Co., however, there is also the risk of falling back to third place in the group and thus relegation against relegation from League B. With a draw, the ÖFB team would at least have second place and secure relegation in March.
The Austrians go into the deciding game with the confidence of five home wins in a row. In the past twelve months, Rangnick’s selection has won all international matches in their own country.
Showdown for the ÖFB team against Slovenia
There will be a showdown for Austria’s national football team on Sunday in the Ernst Happel Stadium. In the final Nations League game against Slovenia, the ÖFB team can win the group with a win.
The German has his entire 24-man squad available. Marcel Sabitzer, who was rested due to stomach problems in Thursday’s 2-0 win in Kazakhstan, took part in the final training session on Saturday afternoon, as did Gernot Trauner and Florian Grillitsch, who did not even make the long journey east.
Sesko comes to Vienna as the top scorer
Slovenia’s star striker Sesko comes to Vienna as the top scorer in the Nations League with five goals in five games. The Austrians had already neutralized Norway’s Erling Haaland in a 5-1 win in Linz in October. Rangnick doesn’t want to change much about his concept. How do you want to go against ex-Salzburg Sesko, who has been storming for RB Leipzig since 2023? “Just like against Norway.”
Nations League, Liga B3
Sunday, 6 p.m. (live on ORF1):
Austria – Slovenia
Happel-Stadion, SR Nyberg (SWE)
Austria: Pentz – Posch, Lienhart, Wöber, Mwene – Seiwald, Laimer – Schmid, Baumgartner, Sabitzer – Arnautovic
Slovenia: Oblak – Karnicnik, Brekalo, Bijol, Janza – Stojanovic, Elsnik, Gnezda Cerin, Mlakar – Sesko, Vipotnik
“I’m really looking forward to a really good game from us,” explained Rangnick. “In the end, as is often the case with us, it is a question of energy. If we perform like we have in recent good games, I am convinced that we will be able to get the game on our side.”
Victory would be historic
After the botched start to the Nations League in Slovenia (1:1) and Norway (1:2), the ÖFB team has recently achieved three clear victories. By Saturday lunchtime, no team had scored more than the Austrians’ 13 goals in the Autumn Nations League. Another success would have something historic: nine international victories in one year have never been achieved in ÖFB history. The 14 games in 2024 are also the second most that the A team has ever played in a year, after the 16 in 2021.
“As far as I’m concerned, all nine,” said Rangnick. But the number is not particularly important to him. “We need the win to get promoted to the A group. We also want the win so that we can go into the new year with a really good feeling, like we did last year against Germany (2-0 in a test in Vienna, note) – that’s above all else.” Austria has been unbeaten against Slovenia since 1997. Before the 1-1 draw in Ljubljana in September, they had won three goals in a row against their southern neighbors. The sixth duel will be the first in Vienna.
Austria plays in retro dress
The game has been officially sold out since Saturday evening, with 46,000 fans expected to attend. “The way we are playing at the moment is characterized by high entertainment value,” said Rangnick. On the occasion of the association’s 50-year collaboration with the sporting goods manufacturer Puma, the ÖFB team can be seen in a special black uniform with a retro pinstripe design.
