Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Austria in crisis.. not a bit of it!
MARTIN O’NEILL claimed this week he would take news of Austria’s woes “with a pinch of salt”. Citing his long experience in the game, O’neill said it rarely pans out so favourably for one team once the game kicks-off. But deep down, the Irish boss must be rubbing his hands at the spate of withdrawals from the visitor’s squad. Marko Arnautovic, Robert Almer, Alessandro Schopf, Marcel Sabitzer, Stefan Ilsanker and Marc Janko are all ruled out – while David Alaba has only just shaken off a knee injury. While Alaba is the star of the Austrian team back home, Stoke City’s Arnautovic is arguably a more influential player. He is suspended for Sunday’s game and Florian Kainz – whose one and only cap came two years ago – is likely to replace him. Yesterday, Kainz admitted the prospect of being catapulted onto the left side of Austria’s attack sends a “gigantic chill” down his spine. But the Werder Bremen ace, 24, insists he can rise to the challenge in Dublin and help get Austria’s World Cup dream back on track, no matter how remote it seems. Kainz said yesterday: “I really appreciate getting this chance again. I’ve gained a lot more experience from playing in Germany, even though I haven’t always played. “It’s been a goal of mine to get back into the national squad and the manager wants me to take my chance. It’s a big deal for me. “The atmosphere in the squad is very good and I think we’ve a strong chance of winning the game if we bring a good attitude.”