Austria’s women’s national soccer team started the training preparations for the first round World Cup play-off game on Thursday (8.35 p.m.) in Scotland with a lot of optimism. “If we can perform well, we’ll leave the pitch as winners,” said defensive player Sarah Puntigam. It has to be successful under typical British conditions, the first session took place in the rain, the forecasts for the next few days are similar.
While Puntigam described the weather as “not so great”, her midfield colleague Sarah Zadrazil can live with it very well. “I like to play in the rain, much better than in the heat,” emphasized the Bayern vice-captain. She therefore saw no advantage for hosts Scotland in the perhaps inhospitable conditions. “I wouldn’t say it suits any team better. We are not fair-weather players, we can also fight.”
After the last ÖFB course, Zadrazil was briefly slowed down by a corona infection. “It wasn’t anything serious, just a runny nose and a headache. I’ve played 90 minutes in the last two games, I’m physically fine, I feel fit,” said the 29-year-old. On Thursday, she and her team bought the ticket for the group stage of the Champions League, where Austria’s series champion St. Pölten is also there for the first time. “The fact that so many players are represented internationally at club level shows what kind of development has happened in Austria,” said Zadrazil.
In addition to St. Pölten, there are seven ÖFB players in the round of the top 16 in the “premier class”. Currently, however, the full focus is on the multi-stage fight for a World Cup ticket. The ÖFB selection did not take off together from Vienna to Scotland on Monday in order to reduce the travel strain for the players involved in the various European leagues a bit. Maria Plattner, who recovered in time following breaking her collarbone at the European Championships, might make a comeback. On the other hand, Zurich legionnaire Marie-Therese Höbinger, who is missing due to a knee injury, is not an issue.
(APA)/Image: GEPA
