Austria - France predictions and free betting tips [17/06/2024]

On Monday, June 17, at 18:00 GMT, the Austrian national team will host the French national team as part of the first round of the group stage of the European Championship. The Red-Whites have never progressed beyond the Round of 16 in their history, while the French are hoping to delight their fans with another trophy.

Expected Line-Ups

Austria: Pentz; Posch, Danso, Wöber, Mwene; Seiwald, Grillitsch; Laimer, Sabitzer, Baumgartner; Gregoritsch. 

France: Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kanté, Rabiot; Dembélé, Griezmann, Mbappé; Thuram. 

Austria

This is only Austria's fourth appearance at the Euros. The Red-Whites had a strong showing three years ago, making it to the Round of 16. There, they lost in extra time to eventual champions Italy.

This time, ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings, Austria qualified for the tournament by finishing second in their qualifying group, just one point behind Belgium and well ahead of Sweden. During the qualifiers, Das Team suffered only one defeat (2-3 against Belgium), securing six wins and one draw.

Ralf Rangnick's charges were very convincing in their recent matches, defeating Estonia (0:2) and Germany (2:0) in November, followed by victories over Slovakia (0:2) and Turkey (6:1) in March.

In preparation for the Euros, the Red-Whites triumphed in a friendly against Serbia (2:1) and drew with Switzerland (1:1) in their most recent fixture, with first-half goals from Baumgartner and Widmer. It's worth noting that the hosts have gone unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions!

France

The 2018 World Cup champions, the French national team, had a disappointing outing at the last Euros, losing to Switzerland in the Round of 16 after a fateful penalty shootout. However, a few months later, Les Bleus won the Nations League, followed by a run to the final of the 2022 World Cup, where they lost to Argentina on penalties.

Last autumn, Didier Deschamps' team finished first in their qualifying group, ahead of the Netherlands, Greece, Ireland, and Gibraltar, with seven wins and one draw in eight matches.

However, in March, Les Bleus were less promising, losing heavily to Germany (2:0) and narrowly defeating Chile (3:2) in friendlies. Looking to regain confidence, the French began their Euros-2024 preparation with a victory over Luxembourg (3:0) but settled for a draw against Canada in a June friendly in Bordeaux (0:0).

It's important to note that the favourites failed to score in two of their last four matches.

Head-to-Head

These teams have faced each other 25 times, with France winning 13 matches and Austria 9. In their most recent encounter in 2022, as part of the Nations League, Les Bleus earned a point in Vienna (1:1) before winning at the Stade de France in September (2:0).

Prediction for the Match: Austria – France

France finds itself in a relatively balanced group, and thus cannot afford a mistake if they aim to stake their claim for the title. The match against Austria, currently in excellent form, will not be easy for Les Bleus, especially since the visitors are unbeaten in their last seven outings across all competitions.

Nevertheless, any squad would envy the roster at Deschamps' disposal, so I'm betting on the favourites' triumph.

Prediction on Total Goals

The French managed to score more than two goals only once in their last eight head-to-head matches. The Austrians are defensively compact under Rangnick, so I'm placing a bet on a Total Under 3.