Austria and France have both had mixed fortunes in the UEFA Nations League and will be looking for some spark when they meet in a Group A1 fixture on Friday. The Austrians can be tricky opponents but the French are a very talented side and will be expected to find their rhythm soon.
Austria failed to build on their impressive 3-0 victory over Croatia and were beaten 2-1 at home by Denmark in their previous fixture. Xaver Schlager struck an equaliser after going behind midday through the first half but conceded the winner six minutes from time.
Although they will be disappointed with the defeat to Denmark, that opening day victory means Austria are second on the table, three points off the leaders. The problem is that Ralf Rangnick’s men have claimed just one win in their last four matches across all competitions.
Another problem for Austria is that they are slightly inconsistent at home with just two wins in their last five matches in front of their fans. They have suffered two defeats in that run and also head into Friday’s clash winless in their last two matches on home soil.
It has been a disappointing title defence so far for France as they are still in search of their first win after two matches in Group A1 of the UNL. The reigning champions suffered a 2-1 defeat to Denmark in their opening fixture before playing out a 1-1 draw with Croatia last time out.
The problem for France appears to be an inability to maintain their discipline at the back as they have thrown away the lead in both their matches. As it stands Didier Deschamps’ men are five points off the pace and need to find their spark soon to stand a chance of putting up a proper title defence.
Despite their struggles in the UNL, France have generally shown some good form lately with seven wins from their last nine matches across all competitions. They have beaten Belgium and Spain in that run and will be keen to once again return to that level.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have France as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 13/16 by SBK. Austria are considered outsiders at home at 19/5 by SBK, while a draw is set at odds of 49/20 by Unibet.
Head to head
France have a 7-2 advantage with one draw from 10 previous matches against Austria. The last meeting between both teams was a 2010 World Cup qualifier which ended 3-1 in favour of the French with Karim Benzema opening the scoring.
Players to watch
Marko Arnautovic has impressed for Austria in this year’s UNL, scoring in the opening fixture and also providing an assist last time out against Denmark. Much of the Austrians attacking play goes through the striker, who is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Karim Benzema started and scored for France in the opening fixture but was given a rest last time out against Croatia. The striker is expected to return to the team and having found the net in the last meeting with Austria, could be worth considering to score anytime at 6/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Austria and France have plenty of attacking quality and with neither side particularly convincing at the back, goals can be expected on Friday. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/10 by Unibet while SBK is offering 5/2 for over 3.5 goals.
Both teams have had second half goals in their two fixtures in the UNL and could be backed to score after the break at 27/10 by SBK.
This UEFA Nations League match between Austria and France will be played on Jun 10, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Austria vs France prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
