Austria vs Sweden. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Austria will host Sweden in the UEFA EURO 2024 Qualification match of Group F  at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna. The fixture will take place on Wednesday, June 21, beginning at 00:15 IST.

What can we expect this Wednesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Austria News & Current Form:

Last year was a disappointing one for the Austrians. The team lost to Wales (1 – 2) in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs. Consequently, the Austrians missed out on the Qatar Mundial. Instead, they played two friendlies towards the end of year, both of which they won. First, they overcame Andorra (1 – 0) and then defeated Italy (2 – 0).

Since then, Austria have had a very poor showing in the Ligue A of the UEFA Nations League. They produced only one win, one draw and four defeats. As a result, only four points, last place in the group with France, Denmark and Croatia and relegation to League B.

With the disappointing results in the Nations League, experts doubted the ability of Ralf Rangnick to take the Austrian side to UEFA EURO 2024, but with the results of the first three games he rubbed the skeptics’ noses in.

The calendar has been kind to the famous German coach Rangnick’s side so far. The Eagles started their March campaign at home field and faced clear underdogs such as Azerbaijan and Estonia.

Therefore, few in Europe were surprised by the Austrians’ spring victories – 4 – 1 and 2 – 1 respectively. In the last game, FC Cologne midfielder Florian Kainz and SC Freiburg forward Michael Gregoritsch scored for Austria.

Player of Manchester United FC and Austrian national team – Marcel Sabitzer

In the summer qualifying session, however, Austria have already had their hands full. Last Saturday, the Austrians traveled to Brussels, where they battled for top spot in the table against high-profile Belgium. And they were satisfied with the result, as they took the lead in the first half thanks to an own goal from the home side, and in the second leg managed to concede just once to the Red Devils (1 – 1).

It should be noted that only Belgian players scored in the last meeting. Belgian midfielder Orel Mangala netted the brace. The hosts’ reply came on 62 minutes when Romelu Lukaku leveled the score.

Austria were drawn in Group F together with Belgium, Estonia, Sweden and Azerbaijan. Among them, Belgium were clear favorites on paper, but after three rounds Austria topped the table with seven points.  Austria made a good bid to qualify for the European championships of the four-year period.

David Alaba, the esteemed Real Madrid CF player, achieved a significant milestone by earning his 100th cap for Austria during their recent match against Belgium, resulting in a 1 – 1 draw. At the age of 30, Alaba will now lead his nation as captain, positioned strategically in the heart of the hosts’ defensive line. 

Considering the remarkable accomplishment of securing a crucial point against the favored contenders of Group F, Rangnick might choose to maintain the identical starting lineup, which could require Marcel Sabitzer to display patience while waiting on the sidelines once more.

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Sweden News & Current Form: 

The Swedes, like the Austrians, did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, losing in the play-off qualification to Poland (0 – 2). But they played a couple of friendly matches at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Janne Andersson’s side secured victories against Mexico (2 – 1), Algeria (2 – 0), Finland (2 – 0) and Iceland (2 – 1).

Sweden also failed in the Nations League. Their opponents in the League B were Serbia, Norway and Slovenia. The Swedes managed only four points, finishing last in the standings and relegated to League C.

The failures continued and to the displeasure of the fans, the Blue and Yellows started the current European selection process on a minor note. In the first opening game, Janne Andersson’s charges were defeated by the Belgians, although they did not exactly deserve such a failure and looked quite good on the home pitch, but their performance was frustrating – 0 – 3. However, the Swedes rehabilitated themselves in the next game by beating the wretched Azerbaijan side 5 – 0 in Stockholm.

Due to an odd number of teams in the F qualifying slot, Sweden did not take part in the first series in June. But the coaching staff did not allow the players to rest, scheduling a friendly against New Zealand, which Sweden defeated last Friday easily and effortlessly (4 – 1).

The Swedes are third in the group with three points from two games. The level of the team is clearly stronger than the group’s main outsider, but the Belgians’ skill is still a long way off. Given that the team from Sweden has scored 17 goals in 7 games, they should not be underestimated.

Alexander Isak – star player of Newcastle United FC and the Swedish national team

For many years, Sweden has been associated with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In recent tournaments, Janne Andersson has taught the Blues and Yellows to play without the star forward, increasingly relying on the talented Alexander Isak from Newcastle United FC and Viktor Gyökeres with Robin Quaison as his attacking partners.

Additionally, Dejan Kulusevski, Victor Lindelöf, and Emil Forsberg are expected to be well-rested since they did not participate in the 4 – 1 triumph. In that match, Anthony Elanga, the talented winger from Manchester United FC, made a notable impact by scoring his third international goal after entering the game as a substitute.

Austria form guide: L-W-W-W-W-D

Sweden form guide: W-W-W-L-W-W

Austria vs Sweden Head-To-Head Record: 

• March 29, 2000: Austria 1 – 1 Sweden (International Friendly);
• February 11, 2009: Austria 0 – 2 Sweden (International Friendly);
• June 7, 2013: Austria 2 – 1 Sweden (FIFA World Cup);
• October 11, 2013: Sweden 2 – 1 Austria (FIFA World Cup);
• September 8, 2014: Austria 1 – 1 Sweden (UEFA EURO);
• September 8, 2015: Sweden 1 – 4 (UEFA EURO);
• September 6, 2018: Austria 2 – 0 Sweden (International Friendly).

Austria vs Sweden Predicted XI:

Austria possible starting lineup (4-4-2): A. Schlager; Posch, Lienhart, Alaba, Wober; Baumgartner, Seiwald, X. Schlager, Wimmer; Arnautovic, Gregoritsch.

Sweden possible starting lineup (4-4-2): Olsen; Sundgren, Lindelof, Starfelt, Gudmundsson; Kulusevski, Olsson, Svanberg, Forsberg; Quaison, Isak.

Statistical preview of the match Austria vs Sweden:

• Austria’s First XI average age is 26.7 years.
• Sweden’s First XI average age is 28.0 years.
• The Austrian national football team occupies 32nd place in the FIFA rating, while the Swedish one is 22nd.
• Austria are unbeaten in 9 of their last 10 games against this opponent at home.
• In the last 5 games, Austria have conceded an average of 0.60 goals per game and scored an average of 2.00 goals per game.
• In the last 5 games, Sweden have conceded an average of 1.00 goals per game and scored an average of 2.60 goals per game.
• Austria have a five-match unbeaten streak (4 wins + 1 draw).
• Austria have a 3-match winning streak at home.
• Sweden have an 8-match series without a draw at away matches (2 wins + 6 defeats).
• The Austrians are playing magnificently at home in the EURO qualifiers: in their previous 11 games, Austria have recorded ten wins. 
• At the same time, Austria have not conceded more than one goal in 13 previous matches in the European qualifying. 
• In general, the Scandinavian national team’s away games in this tournament are unusually productive. In 4 of the last 6 matches, at least four goals have been scored.

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What has been said before the match:

Ralf Rangnick who is coaching the Austrian team ahead of the game with Sweden:

“Sweden is an opponent to win against, especially in front of their own crowd. It’s up to us to get the crowd on our side. To do that, we also have to do things better that we didn’t do so well against Belgium. We want to keep the three points here.”

“We definitely want to finish in one of the top two places in the qualifiers and qualify directly for the European Championships. Whether you do that as first or second doesn’t really matter. In the end, it won’t matter what the opponent does, but what we do.”

Austrian player Michael Gregoritsch about his attitude towards the game:

“The motivation is far too great for us to even think about the battery being too empty. I just want to win this game. I have said many times in March that we have to win the home games to achieve our goal. I think we have a full house and we’re all very excited about playing Sweden in Vienna. Our table situation is good at the moment and with a win we can improve it even more.”

Manager of Swedish team Janne Andersson feels no pressure ahead of the clash:

“It is reasonable to believe that we are quite close to Austria in the final table and then perhaps this is more important than another match. But it matched three out of eight. If we win, it doesn’t mean that we go to the EC, and if we lose, it’s not over either.”

“I feel no pressure from a negative perspective. On the other hand, I have pressure as the national team captain, a tension as there are great hopes, expectations for the men’s national team, that we should deliver results. I’ve felt that since day one.”

“Austria will be aggressive, press high and so on. What should we then do to be able to solve it, based on defending well and how our attacking game should look… We have several different options to solve it, which feel good. I usually keep this very open until you have seen the training sessions, seen the players in training and how it looks later in the week.”

Austria vs Sweden Prediction:

We will see a match between relatively evenly matched teams, with both sides having a shot at picking up 3 points. The motivation here is clear – Austria want to use the chance to consolidate at the top of the group table, while for Sweden this match is of utmost strategic importance. If the visitors lose it, they can no longer be sure to clinch the second place that would give them the chance to qualify – the gap will be too big. That said, the option of splitting the points at the Ernst Happel Stadium might suit both teams at some point (Austria will still be in the lead, while the Swedes will retain a faint hope of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2024). 

Then there is the fact that Sweden have a worrying away record, with 6 defeats in their last 7 official matches on the road. At the same time, Austria are showing solid performance in big matches, which was proven in the encounter against the powerful Belgians. 

That said, the match may not be scant on goals. Let’s take the statistical performance of the 2022 and 2023 teams in official matches. The Austrian team scored an average of 1.8 goals at home and conceded 1.6 times, while Sweden netted 1.25 times and conceded an average of 2.25 away goals. Based on these figures, we can conclude that we will see at least 2 goals scored here.

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Austria will not lose and the match total will be over 1,5 – Yes.