Three get it

The “Day X”: Who won’t get a final EURO rose?

Ralf Rangnick announces his decision today

(Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario)

Ralf Rangnick has to name the 26 men for Germany today. Three of them will be eliminated, which is difficult for the team boss both in sporting and personal terms.

The day when he has to say "Sorry, you're not there", the moment when he can't hand three players a final EURO rose - today team boss Ralf Rangnick has to play the bachelor, make this decision and tell the players. Because today the ÖFB has to inform UEFA by 11.59 p.m. of the 26 men with whom they will be competing in the tournament. As Rangnick had last called up 29 players for the course, he now has to cut three.

Three variants are possible and conceivable:

The normal variant: If three goalkeepers go along as usual, then one keeper and two outfield players will go. Patrick Pentz (played against Serbia) and Heinz Lindner (plays in Switzerland) have their roses fixed in goal, either Tobias Lawal or Niklas Hedl will have to stay at home. Outfield players? All those who played against Serbia are 99 percent of the EURO squad, and if Gernot Trauner is fit, he can also expect a place. That leaves defender Flavius Daniliuc and midfielders Matthias Seidl, Florian Kainz and Thierno Ballo. Seidl has always been in Rangnick's squad, Ballo is the "team boss discovery" before the EURO, but Rangnick has never seen him in a team kit.

Rapid keeper Niklas Hedl (right) is hoping for a rose, which Tobias Lawal (left) from LASK would also like.

(Bild: GEPA)

Thierno Ballo (2nd from right): hasn't played a minute in the senior team yet - but will he still be at the EURO?

(Bild: GEPA)

The goalkeeper option: If Rangnick follows in the footsteps of his compatriot Julian Nagelsmann, he will take four goalkeepers with him, just like the German team boss. In this case, it would be three outfield players.

The question mark variant: Will the convalescing Alexander Schlager, the team's number one goalkeeper before his injury, make the trip after all? Possibly, as you can replace an injured goalkeeper with an outfield player before the first game and only with another goalkeeper afterwards. But: Rangnick has already announced that Schlager is definitely not an issue for the first game against France - and during a tournament it has only happened very, very rarely that a voluntary swap in goal has taken place. So a Schlager call-up makes almost no sense.

Whatever the team boss decides: It's not easy not being able to give a rose to three players who have been there the whole time - Rangnick knows that, and it hurts him too.