Marcel Sabitzer

Ready to captain Austria

Sabitzer has been named in Austria's World Cup squad and is expected to captain the side and be a key midfield figure throughout the competition under manager Ralf Rangnick.

Analysis: Sabitzer ended the season having made 26 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia Dortmund, contributing one goal and two assists across 1,823 minutes, with manager Rangnick valuing his defensive work rate and pressing intensity over goal output. The veteran brings vast experience of the highest levels of European football, having played at three European Championships before this first World Cup, and his combination of intelligence, physicality and leadership makes him the natural captain of this Austrian generation. Sabitzer heads into the tournament as the heartbeat of a squad coach Rangnick has spent four years building into one of the most tactically coherent sides in European football.