In duels with the Serbs

Grüll: ÖFB team wants to “return to the top league”!

Marco Grüll

(Bild: GEPA)

After a break of almost four months, Austria's national soccer team got back together on Monday - with the recovered David Alaba and Xaver Schlager, but without prominent injured players such as Marcel Sabitzer, Kevin Danso and Stefan Posch! On Thursday in Vienna and on Sunday in Belgrade, they will face Serbia for a return to the top Nations League division and also for a final form check before the World Cup qualifiers begin in June.

Participation in the 2026 finals in North America is the absolute priority for the Austrian national team, but the clash with the Serbs is more than just a trial gallop, emphasized Marco Grüll, Nicolas Seiwald and Patrick Wimmer at the team camp in Vienna on Monday. "We're not going in there as if they were friendly matches. We want to get back into the top league," said Grüll.

Seiwald agreed with the Werder professional. "It's cool to compete with the best." Wimmer expressed a similar view: "We take these games very seriously because we want to play against the best nations, and play-off games against Serbia are better than friendlies," explained the Lower Austrian, who scored his only international goal to date against the Serbs in last June's European Championship test in Vienna (2:1).

Wimmer feels comfortable as eighth
Wimmer has already scored four times for his club Wolfsburg this season. Coach Ralph Hasenhüttl has recently deployed the winger regularly in the half-left eighth position in the center. "I feel comfortable there and it's also good for me that I can play several positions," said the 23-year-old.

His place in the center allows him to be more variable. "I'm an instinctive footballer who always does whatever comes to mind. If I can go in both directions, it's easier for me," explained Wimmer. "I can pick up balls in midfield and approach the chain with speed dribbles, I can solve a lot of actions under pressure and I like it when I have the ball at my feet." In recent years, he has already played in many roles. "The only thing I'm still missing at professional level is inside cover and goalkeeper," said Wimmer with a grin.

In contrast to the ex-Austrian, Seiwald is a classic center-back and was recently given a rather unusual partner in this position at Leipzig. As against Union Berlin, Christoph Baumgartner also played as an eighth man against Dortmund on Saturday. "That's no problem for him. I like playing with 'Baumi', he's a very intelligent player," reported Seiwald.

Delighted about Alaba's return
Seiwald and his colleagues also enjoy playing with Alaba - the captain is on board for the first time since November 2023 after recovering from a knee injury. "There's a different energy with him. He's an extremely important person for us, not just on and off the pitch," emphasized Seiwald. Wimmer added: "David is an outstanding kicker, a role model for us all. We can be very proud that we have gained so much quality."

Alaba is back, but many other regular players are gone. "We know the quality of those who are out. Nevertheless, we have enough quality in the squad and will be ready to go," said Wimmer. Seiwald was also relaxed. "We know what we can do and what our goals are in these two games."

Compared to last year, there is still plenty of potential for improvement, said the Salzburg native, who has played in all of the last 25 international matches. "All in all, we played very consistently in 2024, but we weren't there in the most important situations," said Seiwald, referring to the European Championship round of 16 exit against Turkey and the Nations League group win against Slovenia in Vienna. "We still need to improve there, that also has to do with experience."

Grüll speculates on playing
Seiwald and Wimmer are likely to be available on Thursday, and Grüll can also hope to get minutes in the national team. This was last the case last year in the 2:1 win against Serbia. Since then, the attacker has established himself at Werder Bremen. "It's an advantage when you play in a different league to Austria. You play and train at a different level there. That's why you have a better chance of getting more playing time in the team," explained Grüll. "Nobody likes to just be there and sit on the bench, but we also have a lot of quality in the squad."