Austria have confirmed they WILL travel to Scotland for the crunch World Cup qualifier this month - but it could be a skeleton outfit that travel with a host of Bundesliga players set to call off.
Steve Clarke had braced himself for Austria asking UEFA to move their World Cup qualifier away from Hampden.
There were fears his start to the Qatar 2022 campaign could be rejigged as the Austrian FA weighed up their options, which included asking UEFA to either flip the opening Group F fixture to play it at home – or request a neutral venue.
A host of their German-based players, including Bayern Munich skipper David Alaba, aren’t allowed to enter the UK without a 14-day quarantine period on their return, which has been ruled out by clubs.
There is no exemption for elite sportsmen and that has led to several Champions League games involving German sides being moved to neutral grounds.
In Austria’s last squad, there were no fewer than 18 Bundesliga players included, which has given boss Franco Foda a major problem.
If his team had been ordered to play at a neutral venue, they’d essentially kick off the World Cup campaign with two away fixtures, as they play in Israel three days later.
That has forced chiefs to decide they will travel to Scotland with a depleted line-up.
Boss Foda said: “There was no satisfactory option in this situation.
"We made our decision with a view to the entire qualification campaign.
"If we had swapped home rights, we would have had to play three logistically challenging and gruelling away games within a course in Moldova, Israel and Scotland in September.
"We are also hoping for a real home advantage with our fans behind us in autumn. It is important for us that the decision has been made. Now it's time to focus on the things that we can influence."
