Austria and Algeria insist they will be aiming for victory when the two teams go head-to-head on Saturday, despite other results potentially favoring their play-off draw.
By the time Austria and Algeria begin the Group J final, both countries will know what the knockout bracket looks like and what the consequences will be for finishing second or third behind group winner Argentina.
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Judging by the standings, the runner-up in Group J will face the winner of Group H, which could be reigning European champion Spain. But the third-place finisher will face the winner of Group B, meaning a potentially easier match with Switzerland.
Austria and Algeria go into the game on three points, with Austria in second place on goal difference. A draw will almost certainly be enough for both teams to advance.
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic said his team will play to win against Austria. Scott Gould/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Asked if he wanted his team to avoid victory, Austria coach Ralf Rangnick replied: โNo, definitely not.โ
โOnce we start, weโll know,โ Rangnick said at a news conference on Friday, โbut it wonโt affect our match. โฆ If we have a draw tomorrow, we can continue, but we canโt go into a match and just say, โWeโll play for a draw.'โ
Algueira coach Vladimir Petkovic, whose team needs to win to finish second, shared a similar message, denying that his side would rather draw than win the game to avoid facing Spain.
โThere are no ifs or buts in football, we must always face our opponents the same way, with a strong desire to perform well and with a great will to win,โ he said.
โWeโll see what happens after the match, but in order to move forward and achieve our ambitions, we must first earn it by trying to win the game.โ
In 1982, in what became known as the โShame of Gijonโ, West Germany beat Austria 1-0, putting both teams ahead of Algeria. Both teams appeared to give up trying after the first goal was scored, prompting FIFA to hold simultaneous kick-offs on the final day of group play.
โMy players โ if they knew anything about it at all โ probably read about it in the newspaper in the last few days, weeks or months,โ Rangnick said of the infamous game. โBut I donโt think it will have any impact on tomorrowโs game or what happens here at the stadium tomorrow.โ
Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer added: โWe go out, we want to win the game. It doesnโt matter who we face.โ
Both Algeria and Austria have already lost to Argentina and defeated Jordan, who are already eliminated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.