Saturday 12th November 2016 Kickoff: 1700hrs
Austria v Republic of Ireland
Football – International – World Cup Qualifiers
Group D always looked like it was going to be a closely fought section when the draw was made and that is the way it is panning out after the first three games. Two of the teams battling it out for top spot and automatic qualification are Austria and the Republic of Ireland. Despite being top seeds in the section, the Austrians find themselves in fourth spot and three points behind joint leaders Republic, who they face this weekend. The home team know they can ill afford to concede more ground even at this early stage, basically making this a must win.
Austria went to France during the summer with great optimism after such a dominant display in qualification for the European Championships. That optimism proved to be misplaced, however, and their participation ended at the group stage after failing to win any of their three group games in what appeared to be a kind enough section. The hangover from that tournament appears to be carrying over into qualification for the next World Cup as they have managed only one win from their first three games in Group D. Their solitary success came away to Georgia in their first game, but they have since struggled against Wales and Serbia. A 2-2 draw at home to the Welsh was followed by a 3-2 defeat away to Serbia and it leaves them trailing both those nations as well as this weekend’s opponents. With seven games left to go there remains plenty of time for the group favourites to turn this around but as touched upon previously, losing further points against rivals for that top spot would make their life extremely tough in a section where there are four serious contenders for automatic qualification.
Building on the huge success for France that was this summer’s European Championships where they reached the last 16 before narrowly losing to hosts and eventual finalists France, the Republic of Ireland have made an excellent start to this campaign. Martin O’Neill (who has signed a contract extension along with assistant Roy Keane) led his team to a highly credible 2-2 draw in Serbia to begin proceedings and they have managed to back that result up with two wins against opponents they have to beat in order to finish top. In such a tight group, home and away wins over Georgia and Moldova are almost a must if they wish to secure their passage to Russia in 18 months time, and they have negotiated that so far. The 1-0 win against Georgia in Dublin was a scrappy as they come but it was a valuable three points, whilst they turned in an altogether better performance away to Moldova, running out 3-1 winners. Saturday’s game proves another test for the Republic but they have shown with the draw in Serbia that they are capable of going to tough places and coming back with a result.
Austria went through the whole of their qualification campaign for the European Championships dropping just two points from their 10 games and conceding only five goals. After three games in this group they have already dropped five points and conceded six goals. The standard of opposition is similar but whether it is a mixture of increased expectation leading to them being unable to cope with that pressure, or the fact they may not be as good as they appeared, they have a fight on their hands to finish in the top two. One of the areas where they will have to improve significantly is in defence having not kept a clean sheet against Georgia, Wales or Serbia. Interestingly, they have actually managed only one win in their four games at home, and with the Republic and Serbia to come in Austria, it’s a record that they will have to change.
O’Neill has rewarded the Dundalk due of Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle for their impressive club form with their first call-up to the first team squad. Both have been part of Dundalk’s incredible European adventures and they join a 28 man squad ahead of this game. Whether they see any action is another thing but the experience of being around the squad for such an important game can only be a good thing. The manager will hope that key players such as Shane Long James McCarthy will be fit and available to play on Saturday as they add some real quality to the team who are not blessed with an array of star players. Ireland, instead, are very much a well organised outfit and whilst they may not be the most attractive of teams to watch, their approach is an effective one.
Austria v Republic of Ireland Betting Tips
It may be a touch early to suggest that this is a must win for the home team but considering the respective starts of the four key nations in this group, it’s not far from being one. Should Austria fail to win then they will have to travel to both the Republic and Wales in the second half of qualifying with a points deficit to make up. On the other hand, a win on Saturday would restore a positive feeling in the camp between now and the next set of qualifiers in March when they next face a home tie against Moldova – a match they ought to win. The Republic would have been delighted to remain undefeated after four games and that looks to be a realistic aim.
There’s not many teams more awkward to play against than Ireland as their tireless work ethic, disciplined shape and endless enthusiasm make them a difficult opponent for any team. They are not gifted with a Gareth Bale type of player but they still know how to grind out results and with Austria likely to be a bit low in confidence – and under pressure to get a result – that will play into the away team’s hands and they’re capable of coming home with a result. Back Ireland on the Asian Handicap (+0.5) which means we win if the game ends in a draw or Ireland succeed.
Republic of Ireland +0.5 AH 37/40 @ Bet365
