Austria vs Republic of Ireland Preview

Austria and the Republic of Ireland drew 2-2 in Ireland six weeks ago, the third draw in their last five meetings. They meet again at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz on Saturday night. Austria top League B Group 3 unbeaten on eight points, and Ireland sit three points behind in third. Kick-off is at 7:45pm GMT.

Austria are unbeaten in their four Nations League games, with two wins and two draws, scoring nine and conceding five. The latest was a 1-1 draw in Kosovo in October, three days after the 2-2 draw in Ireland. Before those, they beat Kosovo 3-1 and Israel 3-1 at home, while the oldest result in the sample is a 3-0 defeat to Spain at the World Cup in July. Both of Austria’s home games in the sample ended in 3-1 wins.

Ireland have one win, three draws and a defeat from their last five, scoring seven and conceding five. Their most recent game was a 1-1 home draw with Israel in October, three days after the 2-2 home draw with Austria. Before that, they won 3-0 in Israel and lost 1-0 in Kosovo, while the oldest result is a 1-1 friendly draw in Canada in June. Ireland drew three of the five, and their only win in the sample came away from home.

The record is finely balanced, with one win each and three draws in the last five meetings. The most recent was the 2-2 draw in Ireland in October, and before that the sides drew 1-1 in Ireland in World Cup qualifying in June 2017. Ireland won 1-0 in Austria in November 2016. Austria won 1-0 at home in September 2013, six months after a 2-2 draw in Ireland. All three draws came in Ireland, while the two meetings in Austria produced one win apiece, leaving little to separate the sides ahead of Saturday’s game at the Raiffeisen Arena.

Austria lead League B Group 3 on eight points, three ahead of Kosovo and third-placed Republic of Ireland on five. An Austria win would take them to 11 points, six clear of Ireland, while an Ireland win would move them to eight, level with Austria.

In Austria, the match is live on ORF eins with streaming on ORF ON, while Irish viewers can watch on RTE 2 or stream through RTE Player. In the USA, it’s on Fubo Sports Network 3, with fuboTV and ViX among the streaming options.

Possible Lineups

Austria — Form

Republic of Ireland — Form

Head to Head

Where to Watch

Table

Nations League Standings — League B, Group 3