AUSTRIA have made a superb start to Euro 2024 qualifying and if they can rack up another victory at home to Sweden it would leave them in great shape to reach next summer's finals in Germany.
Having kicked off Group F with home wins over Azerbaijan and Estonia, Ralf Rangnick's men faced the toughest trip of their campaign in Belgium on Saturday night.
I fancied the Belgians and so did Slips Tips but they needed a Romelu Lukaku strike to salvage a 1-1 draw, with the big Inter Milan striker bringing up our man's other recommended bet.
That has left Austria sitting top of the section but they've played a game more than their two realistic rivals for qualification and Sweden can fire the group wide open if they win in Vienna.
The Swedes got off to the worst possible start with a 3-0 home loss to Belgium as Lukaku ran riot with a hat-trick in Stockholm. But they responded superbly by smashing five past Azerbaijan and even a draw in Austria would keep them in the hunt for a top-two finish.
Sweden failed to qualify for the World Cup but they usually get the job done in Euro qualifying, reaching every finals since missing out in 1996. They warmed up for Vienna by beating New Zealand 4-1 in a friendly so confidence will be high in the camp.
How the bookies view it
Austria are the favourites with home advantage and they're a best 11/10 with Unibet. Sweden are 29/10 shots at Ladbrokes while the draw will be popular with punters at 5/2 with QuinnBet.
Head to head
Austria hold the edge in this fixture, with six victories from the 11 meetings and just two defeats. In the qualifiers for Euro 2016, a 1-1 draw in Vienna was followed by a stunning 4-1 Austria victory in Sweden. Their last clash was a friendly five years ago that Austria won 2-0.
Players to watch
Michael Gregoritsch has scored in Austria's last two home games and would have had another in Belgium had their goal not been officially credited as an own goal by Orel Mangana. The Freiburg forward will have his tail up and is 5/2 at William Hill for anytime scorer.
Newcastle star Alexander Isak was rested for Sweden in their friendly win over the Kiwis but should start here. His pace and trickery could hurt Austria's free-kick and Isak is 16/5 at William Hill for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
Most of the games in this group have been pretty exciting so far, with every match seeing at least two goals and BTTS landing in four of the six fixtures. Backing both teams to score in this one pays 10/11 at Coral while over 2.5 goals is priced 23/20 at Unibet.
These teams look pretty evenly matched and the half-time draw stands a chance at 11/10 with Bet365 while McBookie price a one-goal winning margin for either side at 5/4.
This looks like being one of the pivotal fixtures in the group so we could see a few cards. Bet365 are offering 13/8 on both teams picking up two or more cards while over 3.5 match cards is 5/6. Backing individual players to fall foul of the ref boosts the odds and Austria's Stefan Posch appeals at 11/4 after collecting six yellows in his last nine games.
This Euro 2024 match between Austria and Sweden will be played on Jun 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Austria vs Sweden prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
