Austria vs Norway prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League B betting tips on match 2024-10-12 18:45.
[p]A 4-0 win over Kazakhstan on Thursday night has set Austria up nicely to welcome UEFA Nations League (UNL) Group B3 leaders Norway on Sunday. A win here would likely see Austria climb to the group’s summit as they seek an instant return to League A after being relegated in the last cycle, but their recent form in this competition has been patchy to say the least. [/p]
[p]That win over Kazakhstan snapped a seven-match winless run in the UNL (D2, L5), a run that included a 2-1 defeat away to Norway in September. A positive historial H2H record of W7, D2, L3 would suggest such a result is a rarity, but all five of those failures to win came in the last six H2Hs, so recent history would suggest this will be a tough obstacle for them to overcome.[/p]
[p]Norway have set the early pace in Group B3, with back-to-back home wins setting them up nicely as they bid to reach League A for the first time-ever. They now journey South aiming to tip the balance on a perfectly-split record across their last six UNL away games (W2, D2, L2), and given four of those games saw them score first, expect the Norwegians to fly out of the traps.[/p]
[p]They did something similar in a 3-0 win over Slovenia on Thursday, opening the scoring after just seven minutes, doing so without the influential Martin Ødegaard, who remains sidelined through injury. The Norwegians are actually unbeaten in the last four matches Ødegaard has missed though (W2, D2), so his absence may not be too sorely felt. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: A goal from Christoph Baumgartner usually brings around a resolute Austria display, as his last nine international scoring appearances saw his side avoid defeat (W8, D1) and concede no more than once. Alexander Sørloth struck up quite the partnership with Erling Haaland against Slovenia, scoring once and assisting his strike partner – three of his last four international goals served to open the scoring. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Six of Austria’s last seven UNL home games saw both teams score.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Chris Wilson[/i][/p]