Soccer-Euro-Austria coach keeps up suspense over keeper

By Karin Strohecker

VIENNA, June 7 (Reuters) - Coach Josef Hickersberger kept up the suspense over his choice of goalkeeper on the eve of Austria's Euro 2008 opener against Croatia.

"I will announce the players tomorrow before the match," Hickersberger told a news conference on Saturday.

He said he had informed Alexander Manninger and Juergen Macho which one of them would be in goal but would not go public with his selection.

There has been constant media speculation over the first-choice keeper for the co-hosts. Early reports tipped Manninger as favourite although several newspapers on Saturday said Macho would be picked for the Group B game in Vienna.

"One person was named in all the newspapers before the match, let's hope they got it right," said Hickersberger without elaborating.

Germany and Poland are the other teams in the group.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)