Austria vs Romania Preview

Austria and Romania meet on Friday in World Cup qualification group H, arguably one of the most unpredictable of the 12 different groups. They sit alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino, with all nations bar San Marino vying for top spot.

Austria and Romania both put in good showing at last year's European Championship’s, and will want to build on groundwork laid there with a competitive showing as they look to reach the 2026 World Cup.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Key Statistics

• Austria have lost just one of their last five (W3, D2).
• However, they are also winless in their last three, drawing to Slovenia and Serbia, while also losing to the latter.
• Romania have won seven of their last eight games, averaging more than three goals a game in the process.
• However, they lost their first qualification fixture against Bosnia, losing 1-0 despite dominating the game.

Austria Preview

Austria Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alexander Schlager (GK); Philipp Mwene, Philipp Lienhart, David Alaba, Patrick Wimmer; Nicolas Seiwald, Florian Grillitsch; Thierno Ballo, Christoph Baumgartner, Marcel Sabitzer; Michael Gregoritsch.

Austria gained plenty of admirers at Euro 2024 - Ralf Rangnick has got them playing superb, high intensity football that proved to be a challenge for France and the Netherlands, and they were unfortunate to be stopped in the round of 16 by Turkey.

The excellent football has continued, but the results have dropped off somewhat. Ranked 22 in the world, they have failed to beat Serbia (31) and Slovenia (51), showing that while they are certainly talented, the level of football they showed on football’s biggest stage is supremely hard to maintain.

They may be ranked above Romania, but their opponents also showed they are capable of playing some delightful football at the Euro’s - Dennis Man in particular could cause problems for Philipp Mwene. Rangnick will need to be smart about how he approaches this game.

Romania Preview

Romania Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Horatiu Moldovan (GK); Nicosur Bancu, Andrei Burca, Mihai Popescu, Andrei Ratiu; Nicolae Stanciu, Marius Marin, Razvan Marin; Ianis Hagi, Denis Dragus, Dennis Man.

Romania are in a superb vein of form at the moment - in their last eight games, they have managed a brace of victories over Lithuania, Cyprus and Kosovo, as well as hammering San Marino 5-1 in their last outing.

However, all of these opponents were ranked significantly lower than them, and their sole defeat since July last year came in their qualification opener against Bosnia, ranked 25 places below them in the Fifa rankings.

Romania like to absorb pressure, allow the opponent to have the majority of the possession and then hit on the counter. The problem they will encounter against Austria is that they will defend just as vigorously as they attack, their high-intensity game plan manifesting all over the pitch. Romania has talent, but Austria has more - they will struggle to win here.

Austria vs Romania Head to Head

Recent Meetings:

• 14/10/2020: Romania 0-1 Austria.
• 07/09/2020: Austria 2-3 Romania.
• 05/06/2012: Austria 0-0 Romania.

Austria vs Romania Betting Tip

The two nations are more or less on the same level, and while there are 23 places separating them inthe rankings, Romania will come into this game with plenty of confidence that stems from their recent run.

That is why our experts have decided that the best tip for this fixture is to back both halves to end in a draw. Odds of 6.35 on Higbet mean that a £10 stake could return as much as £63 if the bet comes off.

Austria vs Romania Prediction

Austria 2-2 Romania

Though Austria’s playstyle will see them control much of the game, Romania’s ability to counter quickly will hurt Rangnick’s team when they commit men forwards. The home side must make sure they avoid silly errors, because they will be punished.