Ralf Rangnick will be looking to bounce back when his "Austria" side faces "Romania" in their upcoming Nations League fixture, following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Serbia last time out.
Despite dominating possession with 65% of the ball and creating 12 attempts at goal in their previous match, Austria couldn't find the net against Serbia. Meanwhile, Nemanja Maksimović and Dušan Vlahović did the damage for the Serbs, scoring in the 56th and 90th minutes respectively.
Interestingly, Rangnick's men have been quite prolific recently, notching up 13 goals in their last 6 matches – an average of 2.17 per game. Not bad at all.
"Romania" comes into this contest with some momentum after thrashing San Marino 5-1 in their World Cup qualifier. Their goal-scorers included Mihai Popescu, Răzvan Marin, Ianis Hagi, and Denis Alibec, with an own goal from Michele Cevoli adding to San Marino's misery.
The Romanian defense has been solid lately, conceding just 4 goals in their last 6 matches while scoring an impressive 17 at the other end. Can they maintain this form against Austria?
History favors the Austrians in this matchup. When these teams last met in October 2020, "Austria" secured a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to Alexander Schöpf's 75th-minute strike, despite both sides having relatively even possession.
The bookmakers are clearly backing "Austria" in this one, with odds of 1.34 for a home win compared to 9.5 for a Romanian victory. A draw is priced at 5.0.
Given Austria's recent scoring form and historical edge, they'll likely come out on top. Though Romania's defense has been tight, Rangnick's tactical approach might just be too much for them to handle.
