Alaba wary of team-mate Bale

DAVID Alaba is wary of Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale ahead of Austria’s World Cup play-off with Wales tonight.

Austria are aiming to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar having not played at a World Cup since the 1998 edition in France.

Alaba and Bale meet tonight in Cardiff, with the winners coming up against either Scotland or Ukraine in June to decide who goes through to the World Cup finals later this year.

“Gareth is a really super-cool person outside the pitch, and great on the pitch as well,” Alaba said.

“We have a very good relationship, we talk a lot and we’ve joked about this game. Gareth can decide games himself and he’s not always easy to be stopped, but we want to focus on ourselves and our own game.”

Alaba was part of the Austria side beaten 1-0 by Wales in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Cardiff.

Ben Woodburn’s superb strike settled that September 2017 contest, and the 29-year-old former Bayern

Munich star is expecting another difficult night in the Welsh capital.

Alaba said: “I expect them to be very aggressive and play with high balls. They will also attack second balls. We know them quite well, where their strengths are, and we have to be really awake.”

Austria have not won a competitive fixture against higher Fifa-ranked opponents during Franco Foda’s four years in charge.

Foda’s side are 30 in the FIFA world rankings, 10 places below Wales.

“It’s high time we changed that,” manager Foda said when that stat was put to him.

“It doesn’t bother me, it’s more important what we have achieved. “Everybody knows what is at stake.. “It is a big dream to reach the World Cup and I don’t think any Austrian player has reached the Euros and the World Cup in their careers.

“We are aware Wales have not lost a home game for a long time. But we had a similar situation in Slovenia a while ago and we won there.”