Austria-Belgium is a match on the seventh day of Group F of Euro 2024 qualifiers and is played on Friday at 8:45 pm: predictions.
In Group F, Belgium and Austria have made a clean sweep: paired at the top of the standings on 13 points, both need only a win to clinch an arithmetic pass to the next European championship. The only team that can give them a run for their money is Sweden, which has only 6 points and is practically doomed.
The challenge at the Ernst Happel Stadion will therefore also put up for grabs the first place, purely symbolic since to be among the twenty-four teams that next summer will try to succeed Italy, champion in the 2020 traveling edition (but played in 2021 due to the pandemic), in the roll of honor, it is enough to finish among the top two in each group. Domenico Tedesco’s Belgium has won them all so far: the only draw came in the very match against Austria last June (1-1). In Brussels we witnessed a very balanced match: guests leading after 20 minutes through Gregoritsch, then in the second half it was Lukaku who put things back on track for Belgium. The Roma striker, unleashed in Serie A, was also the protagonist in the two matches against Estonia, scoring a total of 4 goals. Identical roster for Austria, which in addition to wins against the least competitive selections in the group, Estonia and Azerbaijan, had the merit of beating Sweden, the main antagonist for second place, twice.
A victory for qualification
He is doing a great job Ralf Rangnick, at the helm of the Das Team since summer 2022, since his fleeting stint at Manchester United ended.
Schlager
Austria is thus one step away from qualifying for the final stage of a European championship for the third time in a row: two years ago they reached the round of 16, being eliminated by Italy at the end of a closely fought match that ended in overtime. However, Rangnick in Vienna will have to do without a pillar of his selection, absent through injury, such as Marko Arnautovic. Major defections also for Belgium, which will be without starters such as Courtois and De Bruyne.
The Prediction
Austria is a very organized selection, which already in the first leg was able to put the better-ranked Belgium in trouble. The feeling is that for the Red Devils it will not be a walk in the park this time either, although the absences that Rangnick has to deal with (the interstitial Arnautovic above all) tip the scales slightly toward the guests. We expect in any case that both will score at least one goal on each side.
Austria-Belgium likely lineups
- AUSTRIA (4-4-2): Schlager; Danso, Daniliuc, Lienhart, Wober; Laimer, Schlager, Seiwald, Sabitzer; Adamu, Gregoritsch.
- BELGIUM (4-3-3): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Mangala, Onana; Bakayoko, Lukaku, Doku.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
