AUSTRIANS LOOK PRETTY LIGHT WEIGHT

GROUP B

AUSTRIA:

The Wonderteam is on paper the weakest team of the competition, rated 101 in the world by FIFA. Apart from Belgium in 2000, all the host countries have always reached at least the semi-finals but Austria is very likely to be the exception. They have won one of their last 14 games and that was against Ivory Coast 3-2. Their plight is so bad that supporters have set up a petition asking for the Austrian place to be forfeited and go to a country that can compete better.

The anonymous Austrian championship provides more than half of the team. They do have a few notable players mind, like the star of the team Panthinaikos’midfield Andreas Ivanshitz who has been linked to a possible move to Manchester City. Middlesbrough’s solid central back Emmanuel Pogatetz and former Nice and Boavista striker Roland Linz will be the other cornerstones. Don’t bet your hat on them. First up they play Croatia which could end their interest in on-field activities.