Preview: Can Austria silence Luis Suarez’s Uruguay?
The Austrian squad has a distinctive Bundesliga flavor to it. Some of its leading men ply their trade in Germany, none so less than David Alaba. Alaba plays a midfield role for the national side but features as a left back for his club. He runs the midfield with power and energy; whereas, he is usually seen motoring down the left for Bayern, he is found calm and composed for country, ready to drive forward when needed.
His supporting cast includes the captain and ex Bundesliga star, Andreas Ivanschitz. Ivanschitz currently plies his trade in Spain where he features for Levante. Christian Fuchs, Schalke’s marauding defender, also features for Austria. Emmanuel Pogatetz, Zlatko Junuzovic and Sebastian Prödl are three more Bundesliga stars who are part of the Austrian setup. Martin Harnik helps Austria get some goals whenever he can. Marko Arnautovic, who used to feature for Bremen and now features for Stoke, shows up with a big performance when he wants to.
Coach Marcel Koller might play Andreas Weimann up front to allow the Aston Villa man to notch his first international goal. So far, Weimann has featured ten times but is yet to score.
Koller will have to line up a side capable of taking on an aging but talented Uruguayan team. Diego Forlan will want to have a say in this one without a shadow of doubt. Luis Suarez is also likely to start. Suarez will be hungry to score; he has already scored 39 goals in 76 national outings. Even if Koller’s side stops Suarez, they will have to find a way to go past Diego Lugano, Fernando Muslera and co.
Can the Austrian defense stop Suarez and his team and thus spring a surprise? Or will Uruguay win this match without too much trouble?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Austria vs. Uruguay live on Wednesday, March 5, 2014:
In Austria on ORF 1
In Uruguay on VTV Uruguay
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Austria-Uruguay match page.
