Bayern star Laimer strengthens reduced squad ahead of Dublin lineup
The 29‑year‑old Bayern star Konrad Laimer is fully fit again after a ten‑day break and has been called up to the 24‑man squad of the Austrian national team for the Nations League duel in Dublin. The team travels on Wednesday to Ireland, where on Thursday at 20:45 they will play against the Irish.
Squad reduced and injured players
The squad will be smaller for the second part of the international match series. In addition to Laimer, Marko Arnautovic, David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner are missing, while Christian Zawieschitzky and Vasilije Markovic have departed for the U‑21 team. Coach Ralf Rangnick refrained from additional nominations, so only 24 players will fly to Dublin.
Kevin Danso and other absences
Kevin Danso is suspended for the match in Dublin because the team will travel directly to Pristina after the game on Friday. The suspension means he will not be among the 24 players on board.
Paul Wanner and Nicolas Veratschnig also cannot be on board, after they were injured in the Kosovo match. Wanner suffered an injury to the left sole of his foot, Veratschnig to the right knee. Both have already returned to their clubs, but the injuries are not serious.
Despite their compromised conditions, Michael Gregoritsch, Philipp Mwene and Sascha Horvath remain in the squad. They are expected to be used in the Dublin lineup, provided their recovery allows it.
Laimer back in training
Konrad Laimer, who missed the home matches against Israel and Kosovo due to a muscle‑fibre tear in the adductor area, already trained on Monday for the first time again with the national team. He said: “What could be nicer than standing on the pitch here with the boys? It’s great fun to be back.” Laimer emphasized that he is “fully fit” and feels “super.”
He is not yet ready for a full 90‑minute involvement in Dublin, but he hopes to get a few minutes. “But I am in the squad and of course hope that a few minutes will come up,” he explained. He has watched the last two matches on TV and described the start of the Nations League as “very decent and very successful.”
Although Arnautovic, Alaba, Sabitzer and Baumgartner are missing, Laimer remains optimistic. He praised the team performance: “These are great players, you can’t replace them one‑for‑one, but we want to cover that as a team.” He further emphasized that the performance principle and the shared responsibility ensure that it will “always get better.”