Soccer-Austrian injury concerns not worrying coach Rangnick

Austria have injury concerns over captain ​David Alaba and forward Christoph Baumgartner ​after Monday’s win over fellow ‌World ​Cup finalists Tunisia, but coach Ralf Rangnick said he was not overly concerned. That’s why we didn’t take any risks,” Rangnick told ‌reporters after the game. Baumgartner withdrew from the team for Austria’s last World Cup tune-up after feeling a sharp pain in his groin during the warm-up.

Austria have injury concerns over captain ​David Alaba and forward Christoph Baumgartner ​after Monday’s win over fellow ‌World ​Cup finalists Tunisia, but coach Ralf Rangnick said he was not overly concerned. Alaba, whose recent career has been ‌littered with injury, went off at halftime in the 1-0 win at the Ernst Happel Stadium. “We’ll have to take another look at David. He felt a slight tightness in ‌his leg at halftime. That’s why we didn’t take any risks,” Rangnick told ‌reporters after the game.

Baumgartner withdrew from the team for Austria’s last World Cup tune-up after feeling a sharp pain in his groin during the warm-up. "We still have to wait and see what's going ⁠on with ​Baumi,” Rangnick said.

“We ⁠won't know the severity of the injury until Tuesday. Hopefully, it's not too serious. He felt a ⁠sharp pain while taking a shot on goal. More likely in his hip flexor," the ​coach said. After the match, goalscorer Marcel Sabitzer told reporters he had spoken to ⁠Baumgartner, who said his withdrawal from the starting line-up was merely a precautionary measure.

“He says he thinks ⁠it’s ​not too serious. Baumgartner is very important for our game. We hope everything will be all right. We still have some time,” said Sabitzer. Monday’s win, ⁠with Austria down to 10 men for much of the match after an early red ⁠card, was the ⁠team's only preparatory game before the World Cup kicks off next week. Austria play their World Cup Group J opener against Jordan ‌on June ‌16.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; ​Editing by Kate Mayberry)