Euro 2024 dark horses Austria take on perennial European dark horses Turkiye in what promises an exciting encounter in the knockout stages.
Not a soul would have believed if someone had predicted Austria, who face Turkiye on Tuesday, would top a group consisting of France and the Netherlands. Yet, Ralf Rangnick’s men proved that a team worthy of executing an expert system can do wonders by coming on top of Group D.
With France only managing a draw against Poland in the final group game, Austria and the Netherlands played one of the most entertaining games of the group stages. Rangnick’s men came out on top in a topsy-turvy encounter, with things going in either direction in different stages of the match.
Some Austrian fans might have lost hope when Memphis Depay equalised in the 75th minute. However, Marcel Sabitzer’s expert finish in the 80th minute gave Austria a base and purpose to hold on to for the next ten minutes, and they did very well to maintain that slender lead to finish on top of the group. They could potentially even land the Dutch again in the quarter-finals or Romania.
Meanwhile, perennial dark horses Turkiye will have been happily envisaging a somewhat kinder draw if they manage to progress beyond the round-of-16 stage. Some Turkish fans will also have been happy that they face Austria in this phase, although comparing the performances of both teams, Rangnick’s men are likely to be ahead of them.
Vincenzo Montella might have been mightily pleased with his side’s performances over the three group games. They did get fortunate in the third game against Czechia due to Antonin Barak’s early sending-off. Still, it did take a second-half injury-time winner from Cenk Tosun to seal the three points and second place in the group ahead of Georgia.
It remains to be seen whether they can give themselves a fair chance in this encounter with Austria, although they will have to give their absolute best to progress. Montella will be aware of the quality Austria possesses, which will make him push his own players to deliver at their optimum levels.
Team News & Tactics
Austria
Ralf Rangnick will prioritise having a system over his best players, as he wants the side to stay compact on all parts of the pitch. For instance, the Austria boss might look to shake things up on the left side of the pitch and structure so that there is maximum security on either end.
Hence, Philipp Mwene might come in at left-back in place of Alexander Prass, while Marcel Sabitzer could move to the left side of the attack to replace Patrick Wimmer, who also happens to be at risk of a suspension.
While that left-sided role may not be ideal for Sabitzer, he can play there owing to his understanding of how Rangnick likes to operate. Austria are well-stocked in the midfield setup. Meanwhile, Christoph Baumgartner is expected to come in for Wimmer in the lineup.
Marko Arnautovic will again lead the Austrian line, and Nicolas Seiwald and Florian Grillitsch are the preferred choices to marshal the midfield for Rangninck.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pentz; Posch, Leinhart, Wober, Mwene; Seiwald, Grillitsch; Laimer, Baumgartner, Sabitzer, Arnautovic
Turkiye
In what was a fiesty game with Czechia, Turkiye’s win did come at a huge cost for Vincenzo Montella ahead of this knockout game against Austria. Hakan Calhanoglu picked up a yellow that effectively ruled him out of this game, where the Turkiye skipper was most needed.
Samet Akaydin also picked up a yellow, which will see the centre-back suspended for this encounter. Montella will miss two of his important players against Austria. Beyond that, the manager will need new leaders on his side who can help fill the gap left by the influential duo. On the positive side, Abdulkerim Bardakci will return from his suspension and should replace Akaydin in central defence.
Beyond that, Montella might make alterations, such as substituting Kaan Ayhan for Salih Ozcan in midfield and Orkun Kokcu replacing Calhanoglu in that attacking midfield role. Baris Alper Yilmaz will likely lead the line for Turkiye, while Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz are likely to add support in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gunok; Muldur, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ayhan, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz; Yilmaz
Key Stats
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides in a major tournament.
- Turkiye are unbeaten against Austria in their last five games in competitive games.
- Austria, have indeed won two of their last three encounters in all competitions, including a 6-1 friendly victory in March.
- Austria and Turkiye could face either Romania or the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
Player to Watch
Marcel Sabitzer
While Austria are considered the dark horse, one of their players has gone under the radar among some of the top performers. Marcel Sabitzer is carrying the torch for Ralf Rangnick’s men. He has been effective and runs the game for the manager on the pitch, epitomising his system to perfection.
While the midfielder has not been the focus of the spotlight, his performances in the group stage have put him in the mix for everyone to watch the Borussia Dortmund star closely. Sabitzer will have to put in a solid performance and seize the opportunity against Turkiye, who are missing their main midfield enforcer, Calhanoglu.
Prediction
Austria 2-1 Turkiye
These are two sides poised to make a mark on the tournament as they face off in the first knockout rounds. While both have merits ahead of this encounter, Austria might have a slight upper hand over Turkiye.
The absence of Hakan Calhanoglu and Samet Akaydin will cost Turkiye dearly, as Austria has shown they have the poise to make the best out of the smallest of advantages. Hence, Ralf Rangnick’s men might nick a win in regulation time, although Turkiye have the quality to make the encounter a bit interesting.