Austria face France in their Group D opener on Monday, looking to pull off an upset against one of the tournament favourites.
The Netherlands have already beaten Poland to claim the top spot in Group D. Austria and France will now look to overtake them in the standings when they lock horns at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
France, in particular, are regarded as one of the favourites heading into the tournament, and they will want to qualify as the group winners. They cannot afford to drop points against weaker opposition, and Didier Deschamps will demand a strong performance from his players here.
France have done quite well against Austria in their recent meetings, and they will be the favourite sitting into this game. The last time Austria picked up a win over Les Bleus was back in 2008 in a World Cup qualifier. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off another upset here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Austria
Ralf Rangnick does not have any major injury concerns getting into this game. Star defender David Alaba has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Other than that, they should be able to field a full strength line up here.
Austria are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Patrick Pentz in goal. Philipp Mwene and Stefan Posch will start as the full backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out during counter attacking opportunities. Kevin Danso will start in central defence alongside Max Wober.
As for the midfield unit, Nicolas Siewald will start alongside Konrad Laimer in the double pivot. Laimer will look to break up opposition attacks and add drive to the midfield. Siewald will add control and composure to the side.
Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner will start in the wide areas here. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities from the wide areas and drop down into the midfield to outnumber France at times. Romano Schmid will start as the central attacking midfielder against France behind striker Florian Grillitsch.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pentz; Posch, Danso, Wober, Mwene; Siewald, Laimer; Sabitzer, Schmid, Baumgartner; Grillitsch
France
Kylian Mbappe has recovered from his virus, and he is set to start here. Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to miss out with an ankle injury. France are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well, with Mike Maignan in goal.
Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Dayot Upamecano at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, N’Golo Kante will start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to shield the back four and break up opposition attacks. Adrien Rabiot will add control and physicality in the midfield.
Antoine Griezmann will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goal scoring opportunities with his passing, vision and link up play. Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe will start on the flanks, and they will look to take on the opposition defenders and create goalscoring opportunities with their pace and flair. Marcus Thuram will lead the line for France.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Konate, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kante, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Thuram
Key Stats
- France are unbeaten in five of the last six meetings against Austria.
- The last six meetings between these two sides are produced a total of 14 goals.
- Austria are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions.
- France have picked up just two wins from the last five matches in all competitions.
- Mbappe is yet to score a goal for France in the European Championships. On the other hand, Sabitzer is the man in form for Austria with six goals in seven appearances during the qualifiers.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
The France captain has made his mark in the last two World Cup campaigns, and he will look to showcase his quality in the European Championships now. He is undoubtedly the best attacker in world football right now, and he was in phenomenal form for Paris Saint-Germain this past season.
Mbappe will look to continue in his rich way in a form and help France win the tournament here. The 25-year-old scored 43 goals in all competitions last season, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Austria 0-2 France
France are undoubtedly the better team here, and they should be able to pick up all three points. Austria will look to make life difficult for France. But Les Bleus have the quality to carve out goalscoring opportunities and keep their attack at bay. A reasonably comfortable win is on the cards for the 2022 World Cup finalists.
