Team Austria!

With it only thirty-two days away from the start of Euro 2008, the co-host nation Austria is off to training camp in beautiful Sardinia next week from May 11th through the 16th. Coach Josef Hickersberger has made a massive revision to the squad that faced the Germans in a friendly this February by adding six additional players from the Austrian League title winner, SK Rapid Wien (Rapid Vienna).

The Austrian team, while light on international experience is obviously weighing the option of putting forth a team tactically more cohesive in what is likely to be a more defensive 4-5-1 formation. The present squad, noted below, will be paired down to twenty-three after the May 27 friendly against Nigeria in Graz and Malta on the 30th.

Goalkeepers: Christian Gratzei (SK Sturm Graz), Alexander Manninger (AC Siena), Jürgen Macho (AEK Athens FC), Helge Payer (SK Rapid Wien).

Defenders: Andreas Dober (SK Rapid Wien), György Garics (SSC Napoli), Ronald Gercaliu (FK Austria Wien), Martin Hiden (SK Austria Kärnten), Andreas Ibertsberger (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Markus Katzer (SK Rapid Wien), Jürgen Patocka (SK Rapid Wien), Emanuel Pogatetz (Middlesbrough FC), Sebastian Prödl (SK Sturm Graz), Franz Schiemer (FK Austria Wien), Martin Stranzl (FC Spartak Moskva).

Midfielders: René Aufhauser (FC Salzburg), Christian Fuchs (SV Mattersburg), Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen), Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos FC), Ümit Korkmaz (SK Rapid Wien), Christoph Leitgeb (FC Salzburg), Jürgen Säumel (SK Sturm Graz), Joachim Standfest (FK Austria Wien), Ivica Vastic (LASK Linz), Markus Weissenberger (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Forwards: Erwin Hoffer (SK Rapid Wien), Marc Janko (FC Salzburg), Roman Kienast (Ham-Kam Fotball), Sanel Kuljic (FK Austria Wien), Roland Linz (SC Braga), Stefan Maierhofer (SK Rapid Wien).