Few qualifying groups remain unresolved before the final round, making the clash in Group H between Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the matches on the schedule that you should not miss.
Austria hold all the aces ahead of the final clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, sitting two points clear with a significantly better goal difference. This means that the Boys do not necessarily need to chase the win, although we are certain Ralf Rangnick will push his players to continue their home win streak.
Austria won all three qualification games at home, most recently punishing San Marino 10-0. This recent streak is part of a longer eight-match unbeaten run at home, with their last home defeat dating back to July 2024.
Bosnia and Herzegovina have definitely overachieved during this cycle, losing only one of seven qualification games. The Dragons have reached the World Cup finals only once in their history as an independent nation (2014), and only the win can guarantee their second appearance. Nevertheless, Bosnia have a guaranteed place in the playoffs if things don’t go their way in Vienna.
How the bookies view it: Austria to make it four wins at home
Bookmakers took Austria’s home form into consideration and as expected gave them the nod. The odds vary but mostly revolve around 7/20 for Austria next to 7/1 for Bosnia and Herzegovina. A stalemate is always possible in such a crucial fixture, so you can also back this option at 17/4.
Recent head-to-head: Austria clutched the win in September
Austria and Bosnia have not had many opportunities to test their strength, but we can say that most of their matches have been very evenly matched. Austria holds the advantage with two wins to one in a total of six matches, including a 2-1 victory two months ago in the fourth qualifying round.
Players to watch: Tabakovic is having the form of his life
Haris Tabakovic is a prime example that it is never too late to shine. The 31-year-old is having the time of his life in Borussia Monchengladbach and is one of the few positives in the team this season.
The striker scored at least one goal in eight of his last 10 appearances for club and country for a total of 11 goal involvements in that period. If Bosnia are to score against Austria, we believe Tabakovic is the man to look at.
On the other end, Marko Arnautovic is having his best year with the national team and has eight goals and one assist in six qualification matches.
Probable line-ups
Austria: A. Schlager, X. Schlager, Lienhart, Danso, Posch, Laimer, Seiwald, Sabitzer, Baumgartner, Schmid, Arnautovic
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Muharemovic, Radeljic, Barisic, Malic, Bajraktarevic, Tahirovic Bazdar, Memic, Dzeko, Alajbegovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Each of Bosnia's last six matches has seen at least three goals scored, which gives us sufficient reason to believe that we will once again witness a spectacular clash.
Victory is a matter of life and death for Bosnia here, while on the other side stands Austria, who score an average of three goals per game.
We expect to see goals at both ends, but we believe Austria will prevail. Bosnia will have to cope without three of their key players – Katic, Burnic, and Dedic, who are all suspended due to yellow cards.
GambleAware