Austria and Wales clash in Vienna on Thursday night in Group D of World Cup qualifying. The game could be a key one in the group, as the two teams are favourites to top this group.
Group D could be one of the most competitive with the Republic of Ireland and Serbia also in the group. With four teams vying for that one qualification spot and a potential play-off spot every game is vital in the group.
Austria endured a difficult Euro 2016, going out in the group stages of the competition, despite being considered as outsiders to win the competition. The Austrians suffered two defeats, while also drawing once.
However, Marcel Koller’s side opened their World Cup qualifying with a 2-1 win in Georgia. They also have a good record against Wales winning five of the last eight meetings between the two sides in all competitions.
Despite their good record against the Dragons, the Austrians have qualified for just two World Cups in the last 34 years.
Wales made it to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 4-0 win over Moldova. The win meant that the Dragons have now won four of their last five games, with a 2-0 defeat against Portugal in Euro 2016 their only slip-up.
Wales won the last clash between these two teams 2-1, a friendly back in 2013 and this game promises to be a very tight affair. In truth, either side could win this clash to gain an edge overall in the group.
A draw would be a decent result for the visitors, but for the home side, it would be slightly disappointing. Even so early in the qualifying campaign, this game could be pivotal to the set-up of the group at the end of qualification.