Austria vs France. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Austria will host France at the Ernst Happel Stadium in the UEFA Nations League. The match will take place on June 11, beginning at 00:15 IST.
The tournament situation in the first group of the Nations League top division is rather unusual. France and Croatia were initially seen as favourites, but after two rounds the Danish team is in the lead, with the Austrians in second place
Everyone expected Les Bleus to deliver a solid and confident performance, but so far the World Champions have not yet managed to produce any positive results in this tournament. Given such a handful of top quality players, it looks very surprising. Perhaps the match in Vienna will help improve the situation and they will manage to get back on winning ways. But can Ralph Ragnick’s feisty boys get in the way?
Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Austria News & Current Form:
In March, the Austrian team were to play the match of a lifetime, or at best two, for the right to play in the World Cup in Qatar. They were drawn to play an away semi-final against Wales. The generally even match ended in a win for the home side. The unfading Gareth Bale scored a goal in each half, only for the Austrians to respond with a goal from Marcel Sabitzer. Thus a line was drawn under Franco Foda’s coaching tenure. Under him, the Austrian national team only managed to finish fourth in Group F qualifying, and it was thanks to last Nations League campaign results that they got into the WC Qualifiers knockout stage. Eventually they failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The Austrians then played a friendly against Scotland in the spring resulting in a 2-2 draw. The football federation parted ways with the former coach and invited former Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick of Germany to take his place. He had to start in the new Nations League tournament, and the team with the new coach did it quite successfully. They crushed the Croatians 3-0 on the road. In the second round, Austria played a home game against the Danes: the Scarlet Guards opened the scoring in the first half. Xaver Schlager‘s efforts evened the score, but the visitors managed to snatch the victory right at the end of the encounter.
In general, the national team of Austria in recent years shows varying success in major tournaments. So far, the World Cups have not been a success, but the Austrians have made it to the European championships twice in a row. While in 2016 they finished last in the group, in 2020 they managed to make it to the ⅛ finals. Now, Austria have an interesting generation of players and with the right leadership and attitude, they are quite capable of achieving the desired result in any tournament. France will be a great test of ambition.
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France News & Current Form:
The French ended last year on a positive note with their World Cup qualifiers, beating Kazakhstan 8-0 at home and Finland 2-0 on the road. In March, the Triclours played two home friendlies against African teams. The first contest was a 2-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire, while the second was a 5-0 win over South Africa. Coach Didier Deschamps has made no secret of the fact that his side aim to achieve top places in every tournament. Particularly, there is a goal to win in the Nations League, especially as they are the reigning winners as well.
But words must be followed by deeds, and France have made a poor start to the tournament. In the first round, Les Bleus hosted Denmark and Karim Benzema opened the scoring early in the second half. But the Scandinavians did not hesitate, and Andreas Cornelius not only levelled the score but also took the lead with three minutes left in the game. France played the second away game against the Croatians and did the same trick, opening the scoring early in the second half. This time, it was Adrien Rabiot.
Further up, the Croatians were awarded with penalty kick, Andrej Kramaric was accurate from the spot (1:1). The two teams now share third-fourth place in the group with one point each. At the same time, it should be noted that Deschamps has fielded a far from optimal squad, showing that, for him, the Nations League is primarily a field for experimentation and rotation.
A defeat against Austria could ruin any hopes of finishing top of the group, so the French need to turn on the heat. There is no doubt that fatigue from a difficult season has accumulated, because if you look at the squad, every single player has played for some of Europe’s top clubs. Many players have played more than 50 games in the last year and only in mid-June, after the fourth round of the Nations League, it will be possible to go on holiday, preferably in a good mood.
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Austria season form guide (all competitions): W-W-L-D-W-L
France season form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-L-D
Austria vs France Head-To-Head Record:
| Austria | Draw | France |
| 9 | 2 | 12 |
Last matches:
28.03.2007, France v Austria – 1:0;
06.09.2008, Austria v. France 3:1;
14.10.2009, France v Austria – 3 1.
Austria vs France Predicted XI:
Austria possible starting lineup: Lindner; Posch, Alaba, Wober; Lainer, Laimer, Schlager, Weimann; Sabitzer; Onisiwo, Arnautovic
France possible starting lineup: Lloris; Kounde, Kimpembe, L. Hernandez; Clauss, Kante, Guendouzi, T. Hernandez; Griezmann; Benzema, Mbappe
Statistical preview of the match Austria vs France:
- The Austrian team had failed to score in only two of their previous ten matches.
- Austria have been conceding at home in 11 consecutive matches.
- France have scored and conceded in five consecutive UEFA Nations League away games.
- France have not lost in 9 of their last 10 UEFA Nations League away games.
- France have scored less than 2.5 goals (regular time) in 5 of their last 6 away matches
What has been said before the match:
“This match is about confirming the progress that we’ve shown in our last two games and then taking another step forward. And, of course, it’s also about scoring. We have to cut out the mistakes we made at the back against Denmark and create as many scoring chances as possible.”
“After two Nations League matches, we are not in a good position in terms of points. We will do our best to win the match and we will see what our opponents do. These are also preparation matches considering they are played in a short timeframe.”
Austria vs France Prediction:
Austria’s success over the distance, and the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as head coach, do not inspire confidence yet. The victory over the Croatians seemed good, but it was followed by a defeat against Denmark. Consequently, stability is out of the question. France have more resources and experience, and even the reserves are capable of a lot. Plus, the reigning world champions and winners of the Nations League need to make amends for the defeat against Denmark and the draw with Croatia.
Parimatch News staff prediction: