Austria host Uruguay in an international friendly match on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 (11:30 AM Pacific) at Wörthersee Stadion in the city of Klagenfurt. The Austrians did not make it to the World Cup finals and are starting their preparation for the Euro 2016 qualifiers, while the manager of the South Americans, Oscar Tabarez, will take a look at his options for this summer’s tournament in Brazil.
New page for Austria
Austria came short in World Cup qualifying, finishing third in their group and missing out on a trip to Brazil. Manager Marcel Koller is already looking forward to the start of Euro 2016 qualifying next September, with his team facing Russia, Sweden, Montenegro, Moldova and Liechtenstein in Group G.
For this friendly, Koller left last season’s Austrian league top scorer Philipp Hosiner (Austria Vienna) out of his squad, while there was no place for Kevin Wimmer of FC Koeln and Philipp Zulechner of Freiburg.
Αustria squad:
Goalkeepers: Robert Almer (Cottbus), Heinz Lindner (Austria Vienna), Ramazan Oezcan (Ingolstadt).
Defenders: Aleksandar Dragovic (Dynamo Kiev), Christian Fuchs (Schalke), Gyoergy Garics (Bologna), Martin Hinteregger (Salzburg), Florian Klein (Salzburg), Emanuel Pogatetz (Nuremberg), Sebastian Proedl (Werder Bremen), Markus Suttner (Austria Vienna).
Midfielders: David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Marko Arnautovic (Stoke), Guido Burgstaller (Rapid Vienna), Martin Harnik (Stuttgart), Andreas Ivanschitz (Levante), Zlatko Junuzovic (Werder Bremen), Veli Kavlak (Besiktas), Christoph Leitgeb (Salzburg), Marcel Sabitzer (Rapid Vienna).
Forwards: Lukas Hinterseer (Wacker Innsbruck), Marc Janko (Trabzonspor), Andreas Weimann (Aston Villa).
Uruguay without Cavani
The Uruguayans are stepping up their preparations for participating in the World Cup finals. Having finished third in South Africa four years ago, they became South American champions in 2011 by winning the Copa America, and will go to Brazil with great expectations after beating Jordan in intercontinental play-offs to secure a place among the 32 finalists.
For this friendly though, manager Oscar Tabarez has a major headache, as PSG striker Edinson Cavani is out with injury. Premier League leading scorer Luis Suarez will be present though, and Tabarez will test the Liverpool striker’s partnership with reserve attacker Christian Stuani, as Palermo hitman Abel Hernandez is missing as well. Juventus defender Martin Caceres is another name on Tabarez’s injury list.
Uruguay squad:
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Olimpia).
Defenders: Alejandro Silva (Olimpia), Maxi Pereira (Benfica), Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion), Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez (both Atletico Madrid), Jorge Fucile (Porto).
Midfielders: Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Alvaro Pereira (Inter Milan), Walter Gargano (Parma), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Diego Perez (Bologna), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo).
Forwards: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Christian Stuani (Espanyol).
Uruguay vs Austria Prediction
With Luis Suarez in the form of his life lately with Liverpool, we can’t see how Austria could prevent the visitors from scoring. That’s why I am certain the Uruguay vs Austria match will end in a 2-0 victory for the strong South American side.
Uruguay vs Austria Television
The Uruguay vs Austria match will be televised on beIN Sports USA.
The Uruguay vs Austria highlights will be uploaded soon after the match ends.
