The Austrians also want to celebrate victory and many goals in Skopje. / Picture: EXPA / APA / picturedesk.com
Skopje / Vienna. Where the national team left off on Friday in the World Cup qualification against Latvia, it should continue today (6 p.m., live, ORF Sport +) in North Macedonia. As with the ultimately clear 8: 1 victory, active game design is also required against the number 131 in the world (Austria 21), and a false start should be avoided as much as possible. “In the analysis we clearly stated that we shouldn't act as negligently in the remaining defense as we did against Latvia,” said team boss Irene Fuhrmann. “The North Macedonians go hard in the duels and like to play for time to break our rhythm. It is important to remain patient and determined. “
Fuhrmann noted positively that in times of failures (Viktoria Schnaderbeck, Katharina Schiechtl, Katharina Naschenweng) debutant Maria Plattner (20, Potsdam) or double goalscorer Katja Wienerroither (19, Grasshoppers Zurich) took their chance. “Our interchangers brought momentum and the boys fitted in seamlessly,” said the team boss.
As in the next international double against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland (October 22nd and 26th respectively), the role of favorite is to be highly concentrated. After all, for Austria in the race for the World Cup premiere in Australia / New Zealand in 2023, every point is not the only thing that counts, but every goal scored. Because only the nine group winners are permanently qualified for the final round, England is the big favorite in the ÖFB group (duels on November 27 and September 3, 2022). The runners-up have to go into a complex play-off: The three best (if the points are equal, the goal difference decides) save the first round of knockout matches. From the second round, including group performance, a mini-table is created that determines the two World Cup fixed starters and one participant for the separate intercontinental play-off tournament.
Long wait for EM opponents
Before things get serious in terms of World Cup qualification next autumn, the European Championship finals in England are still waiting in the summer of 2022. The second qualification in a row after the 2017 tournament (semifinals) had already become official in February, in the corona chaos the draw was postponed and finally scheduled for October 28th. Austria is drawn from the third pot as number twelve of the 16 participants, with a group head from the top-class quartet around hosts England, defending champions Netherlands, Germany or France.
