Austria vs Hungary - preview

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- Latest events

AUSTRIA

·         It was a perfect qualification stage for the Austrians, one that came almost out of nowhere, with a young group of players that have matured into one of the most exciting teams on the way to France.   

·         Marcel Koller created a nucleus that was constantly used and the result was one of the most consistent and effective campaigns Austria had in years, and left the hope for something more.     

·         The friendlies weren’t fantastic, but when the ball starts to roll for real, we expect that Austria will be ready for the occasion.     

HUNGARY

·         Another team that has been away from the big stages, Hungary snuck through in qualification.   

·         Following the disastrous campaign from Greece, Hungary was able to qualify for the playoff where they overcame Norway   

·         Hungary doesn’t have a fantastic set of players, but what they lack in talent they gain in determination, and they will try and make life hard for their opponents.     

- Expected Lineups

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- Areas to follow

AUSTRIA

·         Defense

It was the same set of players throughout the ten games of qualification, and it won’t be different against Hungary. Klein-Dragovic-Hinteregger-Fuchs is a quartet that knows each other perfectly, they are able to deal with aerial threats and are agile enough to cope with paced opponents. A very strong set that was the base of Austrian success.

·         Midfield

With Alaba, Austria gained a player that has the Bayern touch from a young age, and has helped his countries football evolve thanks to his versatility and knowledge of the game. With Baumgartlinger by his side, they are the first barrier against the opposition and the first creators of the game. Arnautovic and Harnik will be the wingers, with the Stoke man being a highlight, if only his temper is under control.

·         Attack

Janko is perfect for the Austrian plan, as the ball gets pumped ahead, and there’s this technically-gifted giant to hold it for his teammates to help him and create a chance. Junuzovic complements him perfectly, breaking lines with his speed and able to finish a play.   

             

HUNGARY

·            Defense

Expect a lot of shots of Gabor Király’s tracksuit pants. Hungary will probably spend most of the 270 minutes of the group stage in their half, and Kiraly will be heavily tested. Their tall and slow teammates in the center will appreciate that Janko is that mobile himself.

·             Midfield

  Gera and Nagy will be like a second center back duo, a bit more ahead of the pitch, and less interested in involving themselves in attack. Dzsudzsak and Nemeth will have to help a lot in defense, the same with Kleinheiseler through the center, but all of them know that if they can, they’ll have to serve Szalai  

·             Attack

Szalai will battle a lot, try to pressure opponents to a mistake, but he’ll be mostly left to die in the middle of the opponents while the rest of the team defends. Szalai is a player that is used to play in counter and that should favour him over Nikolic, who is more prolific, but more positional and more likely to not get involved.

- FIL’S VERDICT

 There is no reason to expect that Austria won’t face this game as they did the qualification group ones, and with that in mind is also very hard to imagine another scenario where Austria doesn’t win this match.

 Better players, more organized and perfectly in sync, the Austrians will want to start with a win that will put them in the driving seat for the knockout stages, something that with this generation and some luck in the group draw looks certainly doable.

 Hungary will try and defend well, avoid Austria’s offense – which can be a bit predictable at times – and hurt them on the counter. It’s unlikely they can hurt this Austria squad that seems ready to continue and make history.

 

FIL’S PREDICTION

AUSTRIA 3-1 HUNGARY