Austria and Scotland will cross swords on Tuesday, September 7, at Ernst Happel Stadion in the sixth round of action in Group F of World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. These two nations last met in March, when they parted ways with a 2-2 draw.
Austria vs Scotland
When: Tuesday, September 7– 20:45 CEST
Where: Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria
Weather: Clear, 19°C
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (BUL)
Austria will look to bounce back following a devastating 2-5 loss against Israel on Tuesday when they suffered their second loss of the qualifiers. Scotland, meanwhile, improved upon their loss against Denmark in round three and won against Moldova, which now sits them one point above Austria in the standings.
Both teams still have a long road ahead of them if they wish to catch up to Israel in second. And while Austria and Scotland both still have realistic chances to book a ticket for Qatar, a loss tonight could spell disaster and lock one of them out of advancing from the qualifiers.
Suffice to say; defeat won’t be an option for either team, which should produce an exciting affair between two nations that will give their all to earn their right to compete at the World Cup.
Austria Need To Bounce Back
Austria enters their sixth World Cup 2022 Qualifiers match following a devastating 2-5 loss against Israel. And you don’t need to look deep to figure out that Austria’s defence was the main culprit for that defeat.
Obviously, Austria can’t afford another slip-up, so we can expect Franco Foda to make the needed adjustment to ensure it won’t happen. Having said that, the final score in Haifa doesn’t show an accurate picture.
If we look back at the said match, Austria had more ball possession (57%) and used the ball more sufficiently, having produced 19 goal attempts and seven shots on goal. Meanwhile. Israel shot the ball 7/9 with a 53% ball possession.
By those numbers, the fairer result would be a draw. Still, as evident, Israel used their chances better – or better said, Austria were less effective in preventing Israel’s advances in the attack.
With that loss, Austria are 4-1-5 across their last 10 outings. Their four wins came against Faroe Islands (3-1), Moldova (2-0), and North Macedonia (3-1) and Ukraine (1-0), who Das Team won against during EURO 2020.
Talking about Austria’s EURO 2020 campaign, they have done reasonably well. Foda’s men made it into the playoffs, where they nearly won against the eventual European champions, Italy, but were denied the glory by having their 65′ goal disallowed by VAR.
Italy eventually edged out a 2-1 win in extra time, which is more of a testament to Austria’s quality rather than anything else.
Austria will miss Julian Baumgartlinger and Marcel Sabitzer as the only notable absentees for tonight’s match. On a more positive note, Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic are guaranteed to start.
Scotland In For A Tough Match
Scotland will visit Austria for the first time since 2007 when they won 1-0 in a friendly match. A lot of time has passed since, and a lot has changed, namely for the better for Austria.
As noted above, Austria have done exceptionally well at EURO 2020, and if their performances against Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Italy are any indication, they should do well against Scotland as well.
The Scots were also present at the EURO 2020, where they did not make it out of the group, having managed only one point from three outings. They lost against Czech Republic (0-2) and Croatia (1-3) and forced a draw against the eventual finalists, England (0-0), which is a good result on paper, but it was mostly England underperforming.
As for their run through the World Cup 2022 Qualifiers, Scotland have managed eight points from five matches, which is good for third place. They drew their opening two bouts against Austria (2-2) and Israel (1-1), and added a loss against Denmark (0-2) and two wins against the Faroe Islands (4-0), and most recently, Moldova (1-0).
Although not exactly terrible results, Scotland haven’t impressed either. At the start of the month, they got stomped by Denmark and struggled against Moldova on Saturday, which isn’t a good look for them.
What’s more, Scotland will miss several key players tonight, including Scott McTominay. Ryan Fraser, Stuart Armstrong, David Marshall, and James Forrest.
Austria vs Scotland Betting Pick
A loss tonight will shut the doors shut for one of the two teams, so we can be sure that they’ll both give their all to make it out alive. Still, even at their best, it is unlikely that Scotland will manage to achieve much.
Ignoring Austria’s loss to Israel last time out, they have been far more convincing than the Scots and have achieved considerably more against much stronger teams. What’s more, the match will be played in Vienna, and Scotland will miss several key players.
Trust the hosts to get it done and take one step closer to Qatar!
Prediction: Austria to win – 1.82 at Sportmarket
