dpa
Leipzig
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick hopes that an emotional return to the city of Leipzig will end with a first ever place in the quarter-finals at a European Championship on Tuesday.
Austria play Turkiye in the last 16 at the home of RB Leipzig, where Rangnick was sporting director and coach 2012-2019, overseeing their meteoric rise from the fourth tier into the Bundesliga.
“I’m delighted that we’re here, also for the lads who have made their contribution here for many years. I hope that the Austria fans and and many Leipzig fans, who hopefully have tickets, will support us,” Rangnick told reporters on Monday.
Midfielders Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald are Leipzig players in the Austrian squad which has impressed at the Euros with victories against the Netherlands and Poland following an opening defeat against France.
Austria are considered a dark horse but Rangnick said they are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
“I already said at the at the beginning of the tournament that I didn’t think it was likely that we would reach the final or win the European Championships, but that it is not impossible either. I’m still of that opinion,” he said.
“We have to treat every game as if it were our last,” he added. “What we’re expecting from ourselves is a strong performance that is focused on our strengths and then we’ll see how far this journey can go.” Rangnick warned that Austria have not beaten Turkiye in 35 years and would also not make too much of a 6-1 win over them in a March friendly.
“We need hot hearts on the pitch, but also a cool head in every situation,” Rangnick said.
