EURO 2016 TEAM PREVIEW: GROUP F - AUSTRIA

Tip: Last 16

Cult hero: Skipper Christian Fuchs endeared himself to a whole legion of football fans this season with his antics on and off the pitch for Premier League champions Leicester City. A prolific joker, the former snake owner will be at the centre of everything that Austria do this tournament.

Star player: David Alaba means so much to Bayern Munich that the Bundesliga giants have had to come out in public and play down Real Madrid speculation. An essential cog in the Bayern machine, he moves forward from his club full-back spot to occupy central midfield for Austria. A fine set piece taker, his bustling displays across every inch of grass will dictate how far they go in this tournament.

Player to watch: Stoke City fans know all too well how devastating their maverick forward Marko Arnautovic can be on his day. Now he seems to have curbed his wayward behaviour of the past, which made Mario Balotelli look as exciting as Phil Neville in their time at Inter together, he has become pivotal to coach Marcel Koller’s plans. Strong, direct and great in the air, he will be a handful.

How they qualified: One of the big surprises this past qualifying campaign, they walloped Group G with nine wins, one draw and a +17 goal difference that saw them ease past Russia and Sweden. Marc Janko put down his Euro marker with seven goals as Alaba and Arnautovic weighed in as well.

Line-up prediction: Almer, Klein, Hinteregger, Dragovic, Fuchs, Alaba, Baumgartlinger, Harnik, Junuzovic, Arnautovic, Janko