Both smarting from defeats last Friday and trailing the play-off spot by three points, Austria and Ireland face off in Vienna desperately clinging to hope. Georg Sander of 90minuten.au traces the recent development of Austrian football, claiming the current defence is a weakness, and that former Salzburg coach Trapattoni still holds a fascination for the natives – an allure that has all but disappeared in Ireland.
Some would say he was at the helm of Ireland for too long, with some ageing players, a direct style of play deemed no longer suitable for international football, and, with defeat in Austria, headed for the exit door. There are many parallels between Jack Charlton’s last days as Irish boss and the apparent imminent end of the Giovanni Trapattoni era. Vienna forms the back-drop to both.
As Ireland prepare to take on Austria in Vienna hoping for a miracle, Tuesday’s hosts are recovering from a 3-0 defeat in Munich. Germany inched closer to qualification with goals from Miroslav Klose, equalling the German record, Kroos, and Muller. Meanwhile Kazakhstan, who must defeat Sweden to give Ireland any hope, had to come from behind to beat the Faroe Islands.