Koller: Austria must stop Bale

Marcel Koller has identified Gareth Bale as the man his Austria team must stop if they want to secure a friendly victory over Wales on Wednesday. The in-form Tottenham Hotspur player will be Wales' most potent threat to the Austrian defence at the Liberty Stadium, as the home side look to improve on a run of just one win in seven games. Austria, meanwhile, are hoping to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat by Côte d'Ivoire in November, and gain some valuable momentum ahead of the resumption of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualifying next month, with Koller's team lying fourth in the European Zone's Group C. If the visitors are to emerge victorious, their Swiss boss knows how important it will be to keep Bale quiet. He said: "Bale is the key player for Wales, especially in terms of his offensive play. We have to work together to try and stop him, rather than having one player man-marking him. Bale is the key player for Wales. We have to work together to try and stop him, rather than having one player man-marking him. Marcel Koller "He is extremely fast, he has very good technique. I watched him play against Germany five years ago and he was outstanding. I first noticed him when I was a club manager (with Bochum), but I think he is now too expensive for most clubs." Duo in doubt Koller, who featured as a substitute for Switzerland when they faced England in the opening game of UEFA EURO 1996, has won four of his eight games since taking charge of Austria, but has fitness concerns to contend with. Bayern Munich's David Alaba is a doubt with a muscle injury, while captain Christian Fuchs is struggling to shake off a cold. Koller must also decide whether to hand striker Philipp Hosiner a first international start. The 23-year-old has scored 21 goals in 20 league appearances for Austria Vienna so far this season. Austria are using the meeting with Wales as preparation for their upcoming qualifiers against Republic of Ireland, and Koller believes it will be a beneficial experience. He said: "It's good we can experience the weather and conditions, and to play against a British team is always good, even if you cannot compare the style of play and it is hard to find two teams who play exactly the same. "Ireland are higher than Wales in the FIFA rankings, so we expect them to be stronger, but I don't think there will be much difference." From FIFA