Austrian national team manager Ralf Rangnick has reshuffled his squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, calling up Yusuf Demir and Raul Florucz after injuries ruled out Carney Chukwuemeka and Marco Grüll, sport.ORF.at reported.
Changes to the Squad
The Austria team will face Ireland in Linz on Saturday and then travel to Debrecen to play Israel on Tuesday, with both matches kicking off at 20:15 local time and broadcast live on ORF1. Chukwuemeka and Grüll were forced out of contention due to injuries sustained during their club matches over the weekend.
Chukwuemeka, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, had to be substituted after just 30 minutes during Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Elversberg. Dortmund’s manager, gave a pessimistic prognosis, suggesting the player likely has muscular problems or possibly a fiber tear and will not join the national team.
Marco Grüll’s injury came later in the day during SV Werder Bremen’s 0-1 loss in Stuttgart. The 28-year-old was forced off in the 67th minute due to calf problems, Werder Bremen coach Daniel Thioune confirmed. “It was very painful,” Thioune said, adding that an MRI scan is scheduled for Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
“Due to the calf problem, it was not possible for him to continue yesterday,” Thioune stated. “We will now wait to see what the scans show. I assume and hope that he will not have to pause for too long.”
Demir’s Return and Florucz’s Call-Up
In their place, Rangnick has turned to Rapid Vienna’s Yusuf Demir and Raul Florucz from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Demir’s inclusion is particularly notable as he could make his first appearance for the Austrian senior team since October 9, 2021, when Austria beat the Faroe Islands 2-0.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a standout season with Rapid, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists in 19 competitive matches. This form earned him a recall after several difficult years. “We have already thought about him intensively before the last training camp,” Rangnick was quoted as saying by oefb.at.
“He has taken another big step forward in the last few weeks. He was not only a regular starter but also a key performer. We are very curious to see how he presents himself at this level and are happy to have him with us.”
Florucz, 25, is also expected to join the squad on Monday at the ÖFB campus. The Austrian forward, who plays for the Belgian league leaders, has not featured for the national team since October 12, 2025, in a 0-1 defeat to Romania in Bucharest. He has scored nine goals in 16 appearances for his club this season.
Extensive Injury List
The latest changes add to an already long list of absentees for Rangnick. The manager was already unable to call upon captain David Alaba, Maximilian Wöber, Nikolas Veratschnig, Paul Wanner, Patrick Wimmer, and Florian Grillitsch due to various injuries. This has forced the team to rely on a smaller pool of available players for these Nations League fixtures.
Stakes in the Nations League
Austria currently leads Group B3 of the Nations League with eight points from four matches, remaining unbeaten. They are ahead of Kosovo and Ireland, who both have five points, and Israel, who have two.
A home victory against Ireland in Linz would secure their promotion to League A. The team drew 2-2 with Ireland in their first encounter and won 3-1 against Israel. All tickets for the match in Linz have already been sold out.
Returning to the squad after injury is Christoph Baumgartner. The RB Leipzig midfielder missed the World Cup and the first four Nations League games due to a tendon injury. “With Baumi, we were in regular exchange, we kept each other updated,” Rangnick said.
“The medical departments of the ÖFB and Leipzig did excellent work, so it was no wonder that he came back two to three weeks earlier. But we have to see how much he has in the tank when he plays for us.”
The squad also includes 17-year-old Luca Weinhandl from Sturm Graz, who is set to make his debut and could become the fourth youngest player in the history of the Austrian national team after the war. The young midfielder is one of four players called up from Red Bull Salzburg, joining Alexander Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, and Konrad Laimer.
What’s Next
Austria will play their final Nations League matches of the year this week. The first match against Ireland is on Saturday, November 14, at 20:15 local time in Linz. The second match is away against Israel on Tuesday, November 17, at 20:15 local time in Debrecen.
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