Austria missing 3 regulars for Latvia friendly

VIENNA (AP)—Austria captain Marc Janko and regulars Emanuel Pogatetz and Paul Scharner have been ruled out of the friendly match against Latvia on Tuesday.

The Austrian football federation said Saturday that defender Pogatetz hurt a thigh muscle during Friday’s European Championship qualifier against Germany, which Austria lost 2-1.

Striker Janko, who came on as a substitute in the closing minutes of the Germany game, had not fully recovered from a series of minor injuries, while midfielder Scharner will be rested after a long season with West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League.

Coach Dietmar Constantini called up the captain of Austria’s under-21 team, defender Christopher Dibon, as a replacement.