Violets kick off training camp

Austria Wien set off for Turkey on Monday afternoon, where they will be at a training camp until 28 January. The violet coaching team has nominated a total of 30 players, including numerous young Violets. The first training session is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Together with Slovakian club Dunajska Streda, our opponents in a friendly match on 27 January, Manfred Fischer & Co took off from Vienna International Airport at around 3 p.m. bound for Antalya. Even before that, numerous players and coaches had been chatting with former Austria Wien player Andi Gruber, who moved to Slovakia in the summer.

Slightly delayed but all the smoother for it, the Boeing 737 Max 8 landed on the Turkish Riviera at 7:22 p.m. local time. After all 47 boxes and other luggage items with a total weight of over a tonne had been loaded onto the bus under the guidance of kit man Ludwig Prcek, the Violets continued on to Tui Blue Side.

Wagner: "Opportunity for young players"

In addition to sporting director Michael Wagner and technical director Robert Urbanek, as well as 18 support staff – from the head coach to analysts, physiotherapists and photographers – 29 players checked in. Among them were numerous young talents such as Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Romeo Mörth, Stefan Blažević and Vasilije Marković. Sanel Šaljić, who is currently doing his basic military service with the Austrian Armed Forces, will join the team on 21 January.

"It was very important to us to take as many young players as possible to the training camp and give them the chance to show what they can do – we all agreed on that. It's a great opportunity for the lads to be here and get some playing time in the two test matches," said Michael Wagner. Stephan Helm added: "We already added a few young players to the squad in the summer, and now Vasilije Marković, Romeo Mörth and Daniel Nnodim are three more new additions. It's a great opportunity to get an idea of all the players with our busy schedule."

Focus on fitness and tactics

A total of 13 training sessions are scheduled for the next eight days, plus two test matches. On Friday, 23 January at 1 p.m. (local time: 3 p.m.), the Violets will face Czech club FK Teplice, followed by a match against Dunajska Streda on Tuesday, 27 January at 1 p.m. (local time: 3 p.m.).

"Like all Czech teams, Teplice plays very physically, while Dunajska Streda is generally a strong team. Both teams will be a good test of what awaits us in the championship. In addition to the matches, we will of course be focusing on physical training, as is usual in preparation. At the same time, we can also work on one or two tactical elements here under good conditions. This is easier to do in warmer temperatures under the Turkish sun than in sub-zero temperatures at home," explains Helm.

President Kurt Gollowitzer and Chief Financial Officer Harald Zagiczek will also join the team on 22 January.

Our squad at the training camp

Goal: Samuel Şahin-Radlinger, Mirko Kos, Lukas Wedl, Stefan Blažević

Defence: Aleksandar Dragović, Tin Plavotić, Philipp Wiesinger, Johannes Handl, Dejan Radonjić, Ifeanyi Ndukwe

Midfield: Abubakr Barry, Philipp Maybach, Taeseok Lee, Kang Hee Lee, Sanel Šaljić, Hakim Guenouche, Florian Wustinger, Reinhold Ranftl, Manfred Fischer, Marijan Österreicher, Daniel Nnodim, Vasilije Marković, Matteo Schablas, Dominik Nišandžić

Forward: Romeo Vučić, Kelvin Boateng, Johannes Eggestein, Konstantin Aleksa, Marko Raguž, Romeo Mörth