Posch breaks jaw before Argentina, Schlager steps up

Posch suffers broken jaw, Argentina clash in doubt

Austria beat Jordan in their World Cup opener, but the win came at a cost. Stefan Posch has a broken jaw and is doubtful for Monday's meeting with Argentina and Lionel Messi (1).

Ralf Rangnick flagged the issue straight after the Jordan match, mentioning "jaw pain" in Posch (1). The Mainz defender is now racing to be fit. Losing him would sting. Argentina are one of the tournament favorites, and Posch is a steady presence in that backline.

Schlager, the librarian leading Austria's midfield

Xaver Schlager did not pick up football until he was nine. Before that, he wanted to be a librarian (2). Now he runs Austria's midfield and will be central to everything against Argentina on Monday.

Argentine outlet Olé profiled Schlager ahead of the match, calling him a key figure in Rangnick's setup (2). Calm on the ball. Reads the game. Exactly the kind of player you need when Messi is drifting into spaces no one else sees.

Fan reactions

The Posch news landed hard. Austrian fans online are worried about the backline against Messi, and the tone shifted fast from celebrating the Jordan win to anxiety about Monday.