Austria V Latvia
Friday 6th September 2019 – Kick-Off at 19:45
UEFA Euro 2020 Qualification
Pick: Austria & Under 3.5 Goals
Odds: 20/23
Bookmaker: Boylesports
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/25 | 23/2 | 49/1 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 3rd September 2019 at 23:35)
Preview: The revival of Austria in Euro 2020 qualifying is in full flow, with the team now bidding to win a third straight game in Group G. All that opposes them is a Latvian side which has failed to register a single point so far. The Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, home of FC Salzburg in Vienna, is the venue.
UEFA Euro 2020 Betting – 22Bet
Austria Preview – Das Team to make it three wins on the spin?
After recording successive defeats in their opening two matches, Austria have hauled themselves back into contention in Group G to sit third in the table, only a point behind Israel in second but five adrift of leaders Poland. Only the top two teams in the group will be guaranteed qualification to next summer’s finals, so there remains work to be done, but the current outlook is significantly more positive than what it once was.
For a team that qualified for the last European Championships without losing a single qualifier, to then lose the first two matches this time around was a shock. Losing 1-0 at home to Poland will not have gone down well among supporters, but to concede four goals next time out in a 4-2 defeat in Israel was quite remarkable seeing as how Austria rarely involve themselves in such frenetic, high-scoring encounters.
Of their last 15 internationals, 11 failed to produce more than two goals. At home, meanwhile, each of the last four produced scorelines containing no more than one goal. Although that trend could soon be brought to end here, when they come up against a pointless Latvia who have been leaking a lot of goals. Victory for Austria would also continue their resurgence in the group, having bounced back from those earlier losses to record back-to-back wins over Slovenia (1-0) and North Macedonia (1-4).
Latvia Preview – Can the visitors secure their first points of the campaign?
It wasn’t as though much was expected of them anyway. Nonetheless, this has been a torrid campaign from Latvia. Pointless after four games, all they have to show for their efforts so far is a solitary goal, which came in a defeat and will be of little consolation when the small matter of thirteen have been conceded up the other end. And it could get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
A trip to Austria, who have rediscovered some winning form after a sluggish start initially, is the last thing Latvia need at this moment in time. However, their better displays – and I am referring to the margin of their defeats – have come away from home. Trips to North Macedonia (3-1) and Poland (2-0) at least seen them keep the scoreline respectable, especially when compared to the heavy losses suffered in Riga at the hands of Israel (0-3) and Slovenia (0-5).
The likelihood of them pulling off an almighty shock by winning in Vienna are remote, however: in their last 29 internationals as the away team, Latvia have only won twice (W2 D7 L20) and none at all since October 2016. Just scoring a goal would be a step in the right direction: not only have their four fixtures in the group returned one goal but this is a team that has scored only seven times in its last sixteen matches combined.
Austria V Latvia Key Facts:
- Austria have been beaten on only two occasions at home in their last 15 such games (W9 D4 L2).
- Latvia have lost all four of their Euro 2020 qualifiying fixtures so far, conceding 13 goals in the process.
- Five of the previous seven meetings between these two nations were won by Austria (W5 D1 L1).
Betting Summary
Defeats to Poland (0-1) and Israel (4-2) in their first two group games have at least produced a positive response from Austria, who would atone for their slow start by beating Slovenia (1-0) and North Macedonia (1-4). Those victories mean they are now back within striking distance of Israel in second place. Goal difference could come into play further down the line, though, and this is possibly their best opportunity to bank some goals.
Speaking of goals, Latvia have conceded on average three goals per game in Group G. Defeats in all four of their group games, by an aggregate of 1-13, really does have an ominous feel to it. Furthermore, it is now twelve games since they last won a match of any kind (D5 L7), failing to even score in seven of the last ten.
All the statistics favour an Austrian victory. Though odds of around 1/10 are prohibitive. A goal glut for the hosts may not be forthcoming either, despite there being an argument to suggest they could do with boosting their goal difference. All four of Austria’s recent home games returned no more than a single goal, while Latvia have only found the back of the net once in their four group encounters thus far and seem unlikely to trouble the scoring.
