Ralf Rangnick faces a critical test as his Austria side prepares to take on Romania following their disappointing 2-0 Nations League defeat to Serbia.
"We need to be more clinical in front of goal despite creating good chances against Serbia," the Austrian coach might be reflecting after his team managed 12 attempts with 5 on target in their previous outing.
The Austrians dominated possession with 65% of the ball but couldn't prevent goals from Nemanja Maksimović and Dušan Vlahović. Still, Rangnick's men have shown their attacking capabilities, netting 13 times in their last six fixtures – an average of 2.17 goals per match.
Romania enters this contest in high spirits after thrashing San Marino 5-1 in World Cup qualifying. The Romanians were ruthless, with Mihai Popescu, Răzvan Marin, Ianis Hagi, and Denis Alibec all finding the net in a dominant display where they enjoyed 75% possession.
By the way, Romania's defense has been rock solid recently, conceding just 4 goals in their previous 6 matches while scoring an impressive 17 themselves. Quite the form!
The history between these sides favors Austria. Their last meeting in October 2020 ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for the Austrians, with Alexander Schöpf scoring the decisive goal in the 75th minute.
Bookmakers clearly see Austria as favorites for this one, offering odds of 1.34 for a home win compared to 9.5 for a Romania victory.
Can Romania's stingy defense withstand Austria's attacking threat? Or will Rangnick's men keep a clean sheet as predicted? We might be heading for a 2-0 Austrian victory if the form guide is anything to go by.
