Schlager failure: RB Leipzig is fighting for World Cup qualification with concerns!

Schlager failure: RB Leipzig is fighting for World Cup qualification with concerns!

RB Leipzig suffered a bitter 3-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim last weekend, without their Austrian star Xaver Schlager. Loud Picture The 28-year-old was left with his shoes in the stadium due to calf problems and had no choice but to watch the game from home. These health concerns are not only in the air, they also cause an uneasy feeling among the Leipzig bosses.

Rumor has it that the club's medical department has contacted Ralf Rangnick directly with a request to use hitters sparingly in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Rangnick, who sees Schlager as an important leader in the team, will still have to rethink his strategy. Schlager has already had a very difficult season, marked by a muscle injury last March and renewed calf problems. The fact that he was sidelined after just two games in September only increases concerns.

World Cup qualification in focus

Since his arrival in Cyprus, where the national team is preparing for the decisive games, the excitement surrounding Xaver Schlager has been growing. Rangnick, who is in first place with Austria, has announced the squad for the decisive games. With a two-point lead and only two games left against Cyprus on November 15th and Bosnia on November 18th, victory against Cyprus could seal Austria's participation in the World Cup - assuming Bosnia loses to Romania, as is the case oe24 reported.

But luck is not on Rangnick's side: Marko Arnautovic and David Alaba, two key players, are in the squad but are injured. Alaba has not played a game since October 19th and is not yet training with the team. In addition, Phillipp Mwene and Alaba also have to sit out the Cyprus game. For Rangnick, this represents another challenge in an already tense race for World Cup qualification.

A changing field of players

In addition to Schlager, twelve other RB Leipzig professionals are also on international travel, including players such as Nicolas Seiwald, Christoph Baumgartner and David Raum. While Yan Diomande is already qualified and traveling with Ivory Coast, Amadou Haidara follows with Mali and Ezechiel Banzuzi with the Netherlands U21. It will be an exciting time for the Austrian national team, who may have their hands full.

Ralf Rangnick faces a task that should not be underestimated when it comes to awarding points. He and the team set the “2-4-6 formula”: two, four or even six points from these two games could secure group victory.

A win against Cyprus would further fuel the anticipation of a possible participation in the World Cup, after Austria has been waiting to take part in the World Cup since 1998. The pressure is increasing, and not just on Schlager, but on the entire squad of the Austrian national team, which has to prove that it has what it takes to compete at the top of the world.