O'Neill looking to trump Austria in Vienna

From Macdara Ferris in Vienna

Ireland boss Martin O’Neill wasn’t too concerned about Saturday’s snow forecast for Vienna nor with continuing any war of words with Everton manager Ronald Koeman when he spoke at Ireland’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Austria game.

While a draw would be a good result for his Republic of Ireland team, he talked about looking for his players to be on the “front foot, to try and be positive and try and go for it.”

A win would send his team three points clear of Serbia before their late evening game in Wales on Saturday and put a huge dent in Austria’s World Cup qualification ambitions by boosting Ireland’s significantly.

O’Neill spoke at the Ernst Happel Stadium flanked by his captain and Everton player Seamus Coleman. O’Neill attempted to side step the recent issues with Coleman’s club manager Ronald Koeman over the recent controversy with James McCarthy’s availability.

“I think it is over now as far as we are concerned,” said Martin O’Neill about any issues with Everton about McCarthy who isn’t part of the Ireland squad in Vienna due to injury. “Let us move on. I put James into a provisional squad as he thought he might get through but there was always the probability that wouldn’t make it. With a hamstring injury, I wouldn’t really want to risk him.”

When asked would he put a phone call into Koeman to make sure any lingering issues are over, O’Neill joked that “I will put a call into Trump first to congratulate him and commiserations to Hilary and somewhere down the line there would be Koeman. There is also the possibility that someone might put a call into me.”

If Ireland can get a victory over Austria – something Ireland have never managed to do away from home  – it would put them six points clear of the team who are second seeds in the group. That said if Ireland can get a point, that will be an excellent result.

Ireland come into the game having made a decent start to the Russia 2018 qualifying campaign and on the back of plenty of positives from France 2016. Whereas Austria have only one win in their last six competitive games having failed to claim a victory at the Euros, exiting at the group stages.

“I’ve said in the past I don’t know how you play for a draw. Us remaining unbeaten over the Christmas period going into March would give you a boost. Any point away from home in international football or club football is still considered even by the very best sides as a good result.

“It will be difficult. By tomorrow night we will have played three games away and one at home. This is a really important game.

“Concentration is very important. Austria can spring into action and look a very good side and I think they are a good side. They’ve come home from the Euros very disappointed. They would have expected to do better. That said they drew with the team that eventually won the competition – Portugal.

“From our own experiences in trying to qualify for the euros in our fourth game we lost against Scotland so it left us with a long time to think about the next match coming up.

“For us we battled on and got through while Austria got through their qualification group so easily. I don’t think it would be the end for Austria (if they lost) but I think that Austria are one of the teams who I thought were very strong to begin with.“

James McClean took part in the training that took place directly after O’Neill’s press conference and looks likely to start. “James is improving greatly thankfully. He was in great discomfort over the weekend. He came to us on Monday evening and he wasn’t great.

“There was a lot of good work done including from James himself. He is pretty good. He trained yesterday and I expect him to do something tonight. If that is the case he will declare himself fit. He is one of those if he is feeling bad he is definitely feeling bad. He scored a couple of goals in the last game (against Moldova) and took them exceptionally well.”

Meanwhile Harry Arter is set to start his first competitive game for Ireland. “He has been doing pretty well for Bournemouth,” said O’Neill about Arter. “He is fit. He came off for tactical reasons in the game they lost at the weekend. He came in and is raring to go.”

Of the Dundalk duo of Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle, Horgan is more likely to get a run out off the bench. Their appearance in the squad O’Neill said is “hopefully a boost for the league and the players themselves. They deserve their call up because of their exploits in European football with Dundalk. Their team have done fantastically well and are fighting in the Europa League.”

Our full match preview is available to readhere and piece on Seamus Coleman from Friday's pre-match press conference here.

extratime.ie will be covering the Group D clash between Austria and the Republic of Ireland from Vienna. Our reporter Macdara Ferris will be in the Ernst Happel Stadium to take you through the match build-up here and the game itself on Saturday evening.