🇦🇹 Austria

Rangnick sets Austria up in a 4-2-2-2, with Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager forming a disciplined double pivot that protects the back four and recycles possession quickly. The two tens — typically Christoph Baumgartner and Marcel Sabitzer — press aggressively in the half-space. Konrad Laimer can push into a more advanced role. David Alaba drives out from left-back to initiate build-up, giving Austria an extra passing option in the first phase.

The spine of this Austria side runs through David Alaba, whose ability to carry the ball from deep at Real Madrid makes him the team's most complete footballer — a left-sided defender who reads the game at the highest level. Marcel Sabitzer brings relentless pressing and late runs into the box that Borussia Dortmund rely on, while Konrad Laimer is Bayern Munich's engine room made national — a tireless, ball-winning midfielder who covers ground at an extraordinary rate.

Austria's midfield press is among the most organised in the tournament, with Laimer, Seiwald, and Sabitzer capable of suffocating opponents in their own half. Alaba's technical quality at centre-back or left-back gives Austria a genuine ball-player at the back who can break lines under pressure.

The striker position is a concern: Marko Arnautovic is now at Red Star Belgrade in the twilight of his career, and Sasa Kalajdzic has suffered serious knee injuries that have disrupted his development. Austria lack a reliable 20-goal-a-season centre-forward, which could blunt their attacking transitions despite the quality behind the front line.