“We are going to play to win”, Rangnick tells reporters ahead of crunch Group D clash

Austrian manager Ralf Rangnick and captain Marcel Sabitzer spoke to the press today ahead of what the coach saw as a must-win fixture against Poland tomorrow.

Having lost their opening game to France, as Poland were also defeated by the Netherlands, Rangnick’s side know they will need points from Friday’s match to stand a realistic chance of progressing from Group D. Poland are in the same position.

What did Ralf Rangnick say?

Rangnick was asked what he would expect from Poland – and particularly Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to make his return from injury tomorrow.

“I think they played the last game with a 5-3-2 and therefore we believe they will play like this tomorrow. We’ve had some opponents that played like this against us – for example Italy in a test match, Estonia during the qualifiers, and one of the last tests when we played Serbia, so it’s not the first time.

“Of course Lewandowski is the player in Poland and everyone tries to pass to him.

“In particular in the box he is dangerous and we have to make sure we try to prevent him getting balls and that we try to probably play the game according to our way of playing, to control it, and I think if we do it like this he won’t be able to be in situations where he can actually play his qualities.”

Rangnick gave nothing away on his own team selection – when pushed further, he told reporters “Good try.” However, he did confirm that everyone is available with no injury concerns.

The former Bundesliga boss is familiar with tomorrow’s venue, Berlin’s Olympiastadion, and said:

“The stadium will be sold out tomorrow; the stadium is just extraordinary, an extraordinary atmosphere.

“I think many Austrian fans are on their way to Berlin so I think tomorrow it will be a fantastic atmosphere and we have to contribute our part.”

Tomorrow’s fixture is likely to be crucial in qualification for the round of 16 – both sides have no points so far and need a result to improve their hopes of progression. The Austria manager was clear on his expectations and standards for the game.

“The team that wins the match tomorrow basically has good cards and good chances to proceed to the next phase so therefore it’s a match you have to win.”

“Our way of playing is not oriented towards a draw, not even in the 80th minute. If the result is a draw each of the two teams tomorrow may have a chance – but then Poland has to beat France and we have to beat the Netherlands, so this is a situation you don’t want to have necessarily.

“We are going to play to win and I think the head coach of Poland will tell his team the same.”

What did Marcel Sabitzer say?

Marcel Sabitzer, who is sporting the captain’s armband at EURO2024 in place of the injured David Alaba, spoke about both the team’s preparation and his own personal mood ahead of their meeting with Poland.

“If I think about the last match where we didn’t play on a top level – I think if we change those things, if we follow our principles and our intensities, and we bring all that on the pitch, then we have a good chance to win tomorrow.

“I know I can play better than I played against France, this is what I expect from myself. I feel well, I’m well trained, and I’m ready for tomorrow.”

Sabitzer commented on his opposite number Lewandowski, who he knows well from shared time at Bayern Munich: “I had the joy to play together with him for one year – therefore I know his qualities, I know he’s an exceptional player. As a team when it comes to the tactics nothing will change but basically you should not give him too much space around the box, in the box.”

The Borussia Dortmund man also gave intriguing insights into long-range goalscoring – an excellent feature of this tournament for spectators so far. He reflected on scoring from distance at the Olympiastadion in the past (“Now is a good time to repeat that!”) and explained to reporters that this will be something his team will seek to do.

“There are many things that come together – you need the shot technique, you need the self confidence just to take the shot.

“Sometimes we have short passes 20 metres away from the goal and I think you just have to be brave and just shoot.

“The topic in the team is that we really have to define ourselves through distance goals.”

So look out for some eye-catching strikes tomorrow when Poland and Austria face off in Berlin – we’ll cover that fixture, as part of our comprehensive EURO2024 coverage, here on FromTheSpot.