By DPA
Vienna : Austria would love to beat archrival Germany in a friendly football international Wednesday night. Or does it?
“We win once in a blue moon against Germany. Should this case happen again, please not on February 6,” coach Josef Hickersberger was quoted as saying by Der Standard newspaper.
After all, the two teams will meet again June 16 in a group B action of Euro 2008 in Vienna, the match that really counts for the co-hosts.
On the other hand, a team that has won just one match since October 2006 badly needs some kind of success to boost morale ahead of the biggest football event the nation has ever staged.
So Hickersberger’s assistant Andreas Herzog rather sees the game as a great opportunity for Austria as beating its illustrious neighbour on home ground could trigger a reaction to counter the currently tepid Euro-euphoria.
“There is nothing better. You know, usually the Germans are better, but still, we can beat them on that one day,” Herzog said.
The odds are not good for Austria, though, in its first match of the Euro-year.
The last victory of a team wearing Austria’s national colours against football arch-nemesis Germany dates back to 1986, a 4-1 triumph achieved in the same Vienna stadium as Wednesday’s game, a good omen, many hope.
Against Germany, the track record is not encouraging. Of the 33 games played between the two countries since 1908, Austria won only eight. One, a 3-2 triumph at the 1978 World Championship in Argentina went down in the local history.
Long since forgotten or ignored by Germany, the fabulous 11 of the Cordoba squad live on in Austrian popular culture, an icon of national pride that prevailed against the dominant neighbour.
Unfortunately Austria’s squad of 2008 will have its work cut out to achieve another miracle of that magnitude.
“The game will be a high-risk game,” Hickersberger said.
The coach is toning down hopes and stressing that due to the different stages of preparations, Wednesday’s game at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadium was no meaningful test.
Despite all pre-emptive excuses, “Hicke” and his squad will nonetheless be under close scrutiny, given the June 16 date in Euro group B which also includes Poland and Croatia.
Austria, ranked 90th in the FIFA world ranking, is easily the weakest team in the group and in fact of the whole Euro tournament. Even co-hosts Switzerland are far better in 44th place.
Local fans expect at best a graceful early out or at worst total humiliation in a country, which is better known for its winter sport heroes than its footballers.