Wales host Austria in Cardiff on Saturday evening, with Chris Coleman’s side looking to finally rediscover the form that led them to the semi-finals at Euro 2016 last summer. With both teams both locked on eight points each in Group D, it could well be an exciting encounter this weekend, as both teams search for a crucial three points.
World Cup 2018 Qualifying – Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff – Saturday 2nd September – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 1 at Ladbrokes |
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Wales
AustriaMatch Preview: Wales vs Austria
With both teams finding themselves behind both Ireland and Serbia in the standings, a place at next seasons World Cup Finals in Russia is looking like a long shot for the duo, if they fail to come away with three points on Saturday. Wales and Austria played out an entertaining 2-2 draw back in October, with many expecting a similar type of match this weekend.
Wales Team News & Form
Despite being unbeaten in qualifying so far, Wales remain in third place in the table thanks to just one win and five draws from their six matches to date. Chris Coleman will once again be looking to star man Gareth Bale for inspiration as they take on Austria, with Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey set to start the match despite missing training this week. Despite having called up 16-year-old Ethan Ampadu for the first time, the Chelsea youngster is unlikely to feature on Saturday. Wales produced a good performance to draw in Serbia last time around, with the home supporters in Cardiff set to demand attacking football from Wales. Goals have been an issue for the Welsh, having scored just nine goals in six matches to date.
Austria Team News & Form
Austria Head Coach Marcel Koller is also under pressure to deliver following just two wins from their six matches, with a draw in Ireland back in June leaving them level on points with Saturday’s opponents. Koller has named a number of potential debutants for the match, however the likes of David Alaba, Aleksandar Dragović and Martin Harnik are likely to be the key players for the visitors. Meanwhile, having secured a move to Stoke City from Tottenham after a frustrating period, Kevin Wimmer could well line up in defence.
Head to Head
Wales and Austria have faced off against each other nine times, with Saturday’s home side having come out on top just twice. As previously mentioned, the duo played out an entertaining draw in Austria last time around, with Wales having won an international friendly back in 2013. The two teams have not met each other often aside from this however, making head to head comparisons not as important as perhaps is usual.
Betting Odds and Predictions
With little separating the two teams, betting markets surrounding this match are likely to be similarly competitive. Firstly, betting on another draw between the two teams is well worth looking at, with William Hill offering odds of 23/10 for this market.
Elsewhere, betting on their being over 2.5 goals throughout the 90 minutes is also worth considering, with Ladbrokes offering odds of 27/20 here. Finally, with Real Madrid star Gareth Bale in the Welsh line-up, backing the attacker to score during the game could well be lucrative, with odds of 1/1 available on this market.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is to back a home win for Wales, which is available at best odds of 5/4 at Ladbrokes.