Austria vs San Marino prediction: EUROPE: World Cup – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-10-08 18:45.
[p]Nothing less than a big win is expected of in-form Austria as they take on San Marino, who have not earned a single point in World Cup qualifying (WCQ) since April 2001.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Austria are in a strong position in Group H after winning their first four WCQ matches, including defeating group leaders Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-1 in their latest fixture, marking their longest run of victories in competitive internationals since a sequence of nine between October 2014 and October 2015. Ralf Rangnick’s side still have some way to go to match that record, but given the calibre of the opposition here, and their nine-game unbeaten run on home soil (W7, D2), which included battling the likes of Norway (W 5-1) and Serbia (1-1), they should be confident of moving a step nearer.[/p]
[p]San Marino can only qualify for next summer’s World Cup via the UEFA Nations League, as after losing their first five WCQ matches during this campaign while only scoring once, they can no longer finish in the top two in this group. La Serenissima have lost all seven games played this calendar year, including an unofficial friendly against Serie B side Modena (4-1) in August! As the world’s lowest-ranked country, they will probably be aiming merely to limit the damage, having lost 12 of their last 13 full internationals away from home, scoring just twice during those defeats.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Austria have won all three previous H2Hs, scoring 15 times while conceding only once, including a 7-0 victory in their only-ever home match to date against San Marino in 1999.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Each of Austria’s last three games saw the scoring confined to one half.[/p]
[p]Austria have conceded exactly once in four of their last five home internationals (W3, D2).[/p]
[p]San Marino have lost each of their last 58 WCQ games.[/p]
[p]San Marino’s last six goals in full internationals have all arrived after the 40th minute.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Marcel Sabitzer has scored after half-time in three of Austria’s last four matches. Nicola Nanni has four goals for San Marino across his career, three of which have arrived between the 45th and 70th minutes.[/p]
[p]Goalkeeper Tobias Lawal and midfielder Xaver Schlager have both picked up injuries since being named in Austria’s previous squad, while San Marino have no major reported injury concerns.[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Anything less than a comprehensive Austria victory would be an enormous shock here, so in search of some value, our tip is to back the hosts to win with a -4 goal handicap.[/p]
[p][i]Author: John Pennington[/i][/p]