Having finished rock bottom of their group with just a single point to their name at Euro 2016, Austria will be hoping to make more of an impact this summer.
• Manager: Franco Foda
• Current FIFA World Ranking: 23rd
• Best European Championship finish: Group stage (2008, 2016)
Let’s take a look at Austria’s 26-man squad before assessing their Group C rivals. Below, we will also cover Austria’s star player and predict how far the nation can go in the competition.
Goalkeepers: Daniel Bachmann (Watford), Pavao Pervan (Wolfsburg), Alexander Schlager (LASK)
Defenders: David Alaba (Bayern), Aleksandar Dragovic (Leverkusen), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen) Martin Hinteregger (Frankfurt), Stefan Lainer (Monchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Stefan Posch (Hoffenheim), Christopher Trimmel (Union Berlin), Andreas Ulmer (Salzburg)
Midfielders: Julian Baumgartlinger (Leverkusen), Christoph Baumgartner (Hoffenheim), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Stefan Ilsanker (Frankfurt), Konrad Laimer (Leipzig), Valentino Lazaro (Internazionale), Marcel Sabitzer (Leipzig), Louis Schaub (Luzern), Xaver Schlager (Wolfsburg), Alessandro Schopf (Schalke)
Attackers: Marko Arnautovic (Shanghai Port), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Sasa Kalajdzic (Stuttgart), Karim Onisiwo (Mainz)
Austria kick off their Euro 2020 campaign with a favourable fixture against tournament-newcomers North Macedonia on June 13.
However, Foda’s men face a far tougher test in their second game – coming up against Group C favourites the Netherlands on June 17.
Australia will complete their group-stage campaign on June 21 with a potentially tricky match against Ukraine, who enjoyed an unbeaten qualifying campaign – finishing ahead of defending champions Portugal.
David Alaba: With 79 caps and 14 international goals to his name, Alaba is undoubtedly Austria’s star player. The versatile 28-year-old has operated at centre-back for Bayern Munich in recent times but often plays in midfield for his country.
Having won ten Bundesliga titles, six German Cups and two Champions League trophies with Bayern, Alaba is set to leave Germany this summer. Needless to say, he will be eager to impress at the Euros.
With big-name players such as Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic alongside Alaba in the squad, Austria are more than capable of qualifying for the last 16.
However, they are likely to finish behind the Netherlands in Group C – meaning they will face the winner of Group A in the first knockout round. With Italy the likely opponents, I could be difficult for Austria to go any further.