AUSTRIA

Vienna has been Lee’s home since 2014, so if there’s one country whose football scene we know better than any other, it is Austria!

Our travels across this Alpine land have taken us to almost every corner of the country - from the big cities of Vienna, Salzburg, Linz and Graz to tiny towns in the countryside of Vorarlberg, the westernmost province which borders Switzerland.

We’ve seen fiery derbies between Rapid and Austria, followed the national team’s fortunes under Franco Foda and Ralf Rangnick, witnessed Austria Salzburg face the energy drinks giant that is Red Bull Salzburg in a grudge match 20 years in the making and even attended the UEFA Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa on Austrian soil.

Along with Producer Tom and friend of the show Simon Clark, we’ve been podcasting about our Austrian football adventures on our sister show ‘The Other Bundesliga’ since 2018. In fact, it was that show - and the realisation that there is a lot of interest in smaller countries and leagues - that led to the birth of The ‘Sweeper' in 2021.