UEFA Nations League: Les Bleus Look to Lift Themselves from Rock Bottom

France vs Austria

France are no longer in the running to defend their UEFA Nations League crown. Les Bleus have had a disastrous campaign which has seen them fail to win any of their first four games and are even in danger of being relegated to League B.

Les Bleus will be looking to lift themselves from the bottom of Group A1 when they host Austria, who are just two points above them in the table.

France coach Didier Deschamps will be without several key players during this international break, which will hamper his World Cup preparations.

But the UEFA Nations League 2022 betting odds will still back his side to beat Austria, who are not in the best of form under Ralf Rangnick and will also be missing some of their stars.

Talking Points

Injury-hit France missing key players

France will be far from full strength for their final UEFA Nations League group matches. Les Bleus will be without captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, as well as top striker Karim Benzema, midfielders N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, and Kingsley Coman, and defenders Lucas and Theo Hernandez due to various injuries.

This is hardly the ideal situation for head coach Didier Deschamps, who is hoping to build back some momentum ahead of the World Cup after their disastrous start to the Nations League. Les Bleus are bottom of Group A1 after two draws and two defeats in their first four games.

This rash of injuries has provided a few players with the opportunity to possibly break into the final World Cup squad. William Saliba, Benoit Badiashile, Jordan Veretout, Matteo Guendouzi, and Youssouf Fofana are among the players drafted into the squad and will be hoping to get a chance to impress against Austria.

Similarly, Ousmane Dembele could also be given the opportunity to shine in the absence of Karim Benzema. The Barcelona winger has been in fantastic form early this season and will be looking to produce some UEFA Nations League 2022 highlights as he returns to the France setup for the first time in over a year.

The in-form Olivier Giroud – who has scored four goals in his last five games for AC Milan – will likely get the start at centre-forward in place of Benzema against Austria. Having the searing pace of Dembele and Kylian Mbappe on either side of Giroud could make for a potentially deadly attack.

Rangnick’s Austria look to end winless run

It has been a rocky first four games in charge of Austria for former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Since claiming a 3-0 win away to Croatia in his first game in charge, Rangnick’s side have gone winless in their last three in the Nations League. They lost both matches against group leaders Denmark, although they did hold defending champions France to a 1-1 draw at home.

Rangnick will be without a couple of key players for their visit to the Stade de France. Striker Sasa Kalajdzic suffered a serious knee injury in his debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers, while RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer will be out for six weeks after picking up an ankle injury.

With Kalajdzic out, it will be up to Marko Arnautovic to lead the Austrian attack. The 33-year-old is off to a terrific start this season with Bologna; he has already scored six goals, which currently leads Serie A.

Arnautovic will tie Andreas Herzog as the most capped player in Austrian history if he earns his 103^rd career cap against France. He would also move to a tie for second on the country’s all-time goalscoring charts if he adds to his 33 international goals.

Aside from Arnautovic, Austria will once again lean heavily on veterans David Alaba and Marcel Sabitzer to keep the spine of the team strong.

History

The head-to-head wins between France and Austria are surprisingly close. Les Bleus have a slight 12-9 advantage, with three draws.

However, most of the Austrians’ success against the French came in the early 20th century, and France have dominated ever since the end of World War II in 1945.

Since suffering back-to-back defeats to Austria in international friendlies – the second of which was in 1970 – France have beaten the Austrians six times in nine meetings, with just one defeat.

Betting Tip

Unsurprisingly, SBOTOP odds have France installed as hefty 1.36 favourites to win at home. Austria are priced at 8.00 to pull off a surprise win, while a draw is 4.60.

Despite France missing many star players and in poor form of late, it’s hard to see anything other than a home win.

With players fighting for a potential place in the World Cup squad, look for Les Bleus to get back to their best and beat Austria quite comfortably.

 

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