Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick faces a tough test in group D at the Euros, where his Austria squad will play France, The Netherlands and Poland, all without the leadership and star quality of injured Real Madrid defender David Alaba.

Das Team ist da! 👋🏻🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/P5giVw3yB9

— ÖFB - oefb.at (@oefb1904) June 12, 2024

Who’s in Austria's Euro 2024 Squad?

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz (Brondby), Heinz Lindner (Union Saint-Gilloise), Niklas Hedl (Rapid Wien)

Defenders: Stefan Lainer (Borussia Monchengladbach), Stefan Posch (Bologna), Max Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Kevin Danso (Lens), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Flavius Daniliuc (Red Bull Salzburg), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Wien).

Midfielders: Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Florian Kainz (Cologne), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Vienna).

Forwards: Mark Arnautovic (Inter Milan), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg), Andreas Weimann (West Brom), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg), Marco Grull (Rapid Wien), Maximilian Entrup (TSV Hartberg).

OFFICIAL: Austria have named their final 26-man squad for Euro 2024. 🇦🇹#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/hUWjMzus4d

— Squawka (@Squawka) June 7, 2024

With the obvious coaching quality that Ralf Rangnick has (despite what some Manchester United fans will say), I expect all of Austria’s games to be hard-fought and close affairs.

However, I also don’t believe that Austria have the necessary spark to gain the upper-hand in these tight games, with Marko Arnautovic, the only recognisable striker to many football fans (although the streets won’t forget Andreas Weimann), having scored just 5 goals in 27 games for Inter Milan.

The Austrian midfield however, is crammed with quality. Konrad Laimer’s performances for Bayern Munich in the Champions League this season have gained him many admirers, while Champions League runner-up Marcel Sabitzer, Leipzig due Nicolas Seiwald and Christoph Baumgartner help provide a solid center to the team.

This quality midfield is what leads me to believe that Austria will push their opponents close, but the lack of recognisable names elsewhere on the field may be what hurt’s them the most, and the performance of the team in other areas of the pitch will depend on how well they understand Rangnick’s methods.

Player to Watch: Konrad Laimer

Already mentioned for his box-to-box performances for fallen German giants Bayern Munich, Laimer has an effortless ability to carry the ball from one third of the pitch to the other, and this facet of his game, along with his willingness to get stuck into heavy hitting tackles, will be crucial if Austria are to progress out of the group stage. A brilliant piece of business by Bayern, who picked him up on a free transfer, Laimer will be hoping to carry over his high quality, combative style of play into the heart of the Austria squad.

This Konrad Laimer performance in the first leg vs. Real Madrid really was one for the ages. Earned my eternal respect with it.

Let‘s see if & how Vincent Kompany will plan with him. Not the perfect fit for our midfield but a valuable squad player.

pic.twitter.com/5bDl0bMr6L

— Complaxes (@Complaxes) June 9, 2024

When are Austria playing in the Euros?

Austria vs France: Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf. Poland vs Austria: Olympiastadion, Berlin. Netherlands vs Austria: Olympiastadion, Berlin.

How will Austria perform at the Euros?

In a group that contains the quality of France and Netherlands, as well as potential dark horses Poland, it was always going to be a tough ask for Austria. With a top tier manager, and some excellent players, they always have the potential to pull off a shock against one of the big dogs in the group. However, I think Poland have just a little bit more quality in other positions, and having already predicted a shock 3rd place for the Netherlands, there is nowhere else to predict Austria but a lonely 4th.