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Austria vs Slovenia Prediction & Betting tips
It starts again! The new year for the national team starts with a friendly international match between Austria and Slovenia. The match will be held in Klagenfurt in the 30,000-seat Wörthersee Stadium.
Both teams have one thing in common: They could not qualify for the World Cup in Russia next summer. Austria failed in a group with Serbia, Ireland, Wales, Georgia and Moldova, the Slovenes were unable to prevail in the group against England, Slovakia, Scotland, Lithuania and Malta. Both teams finished fourth in their group with a total of 15 points. In some qualifying matches, the teams performed well, but over the course of the entire qualifying campaign, they were too inconsistent and ultimately had little say in Russia.
In the history so far, there was only a clash of the two footballing nations. This so far only international match went on 18 March 1997 with 0: 2 to Slovenia. Like next Friday, the game against the Slovenians in 1997 was the prelude to the following international year.
Austria:
The friendly against Slovenia is the start of a thrilling international year for the Austrian national team. Although the ÖFB team could not qualify for the big event in Russia, but before the start of the World Cup, the fans can look forward to great Testspielgegner. Within a few days, it is against the record world champion Brazil, host of the World Cup Russia and against the current world champion Germany. Both the players, as well as the coaching team, supervisors and fans are waiting for extremely attractive and exciting opponents. But before that duels against Slovenia and Luxembourg are on the program.
The results of the first international matches in recent years are a good omen for the ÖFB team. In the past three years Austria has won the first international matches of the year. 5: 0 against Liechtenstein 2015, 2-1 against Albania in 2016 and last year the team defeated Moldova 2-0 in the World Cup qualifiers. Also the recent balance in the Wörthersee Stadium speaks for the home team. In Klagenfurt, the national team has been unbeaten for three games.
For the new coach of the national team Franco Foda, it is only the second training with the national team. The premiere against Uruguay was successful, as on 14.11.2017 a 2: 1 home win could be retracted. Foda emphasized that after getting to know each other tactical flexibility is in the foreground of the preparation for the upcoming match. The coach will demand different basic formations and tactical orientations in the two upcoming friendly matches as well as trying to get as many players as possible to play. The personal situation in the Austrian national team is relatively pleasing for Franco Foda. Many of his players showed up last at their clubs and count in top leagues such as Germany and England to the top performers. Especially in the offensive Franco Foda is spoiled for choice. In addition to seeded Marko Arnautovic, players like Michael Gregoritsch from Augsburg, Guido Burgstaller and Alessandro Schöpf from Schalke 04, Valentino Lazaro from Hertha BSC and Florian Kainz from Werder Bremen are all in the mix. Due to injury only the young central defender Kevin Danso from FC Augsburg and the Leipzig Legionnaire Marcel Sabitzer had to cancel the team.
Slovenia:
The Slovenian national team is spiked with some extremely good players. Among other things with the center-back of Zenit St.Petersburg Miha Mevlja, who is also a regular in the team of Slovenia, or Kevin Kampl, midfield engine of RB Leipzig. In addition, Josip Ilicic currently plays great at Atalanta Bergamo. The offensive player is in dazzling form, scored last for his club a three-pack against Hellas Verona. However, the biggest star of the team is the man who guards the goal. 25-year-old Jan Oblak plays for Ateltico Madrid in La Liga and is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. In the World Cup qualifiers, the opponents bit their teeth in rows. Oblak was also responsible for Slovenia’s conceding just four goals in their last five games. Especially the favorites from England had in the qualifying their great efforts against the strong goalkeeper and were able to retract only a 0-0 draw and a narrow 1-0 victory.
The central defender and captain Bostjan Cesar, who plays in Chieva Verona’s Italian Serie A, will not be available to the team against Austria. He played in the last game against Scotland a yellow-red card and must therefore watch against Austria. The failure of the captain is difficult to compensate, as Slovenia in this position is rather sparse. The place next to Miha Mevlja so take either Luka Krajnc of Frosinone Calcio (2nd Italian League), Aljaz Struna of US Palermo (2nd Italian League), Kenan Bajric of Slovan Bratislava or Nemanja Mitrovic of Jagiellonia Bialystok (Polish League). The central defense can certainly be described as a weak point of the Slovenes.