Euro 2024: Austria First for Les Bleus

Austria vs France

France and Austria open their Euro 2024 accounts on Monday in a fascinating Group D clash at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf.

Didier Deschamps is looking for his third tournament win in charge of France after picking up the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 UEFA Nations League, and the early Euro 2024 betting odds say he has a very good chance. But this is anything but a gentle group, with the Netherlands and Poland meeting in their opener on Sunday.   

This Euro 2024 promises to be utterly compelling, and France are sure to be in the thick of the action. But Ralf Rangnick’s Austria are here to spoil the party, and they have had a decent run-in to the tournament.

Following a 2-1 win over Serbia, Das Team completed their pre-tournament preparations with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Les Bleus had a relatively gentle warm-up for the Euros, beating the minnows of Luxembourg before drawing 0-0 with Canada last Sunday, and now it’s time to get down to business.   

 

Talking Points

Mbappe and Coman ready to go  

This is anything but a one-man team, but you can’t talk about France’s prospects without mentioning that captain Kylian Mbappe is fit and raring to go after missing the warm-up against Canada with a minor knee concern.

The 25-year-old will be keen to make a splash in Germany before he begins his career with Real Madrid in La Liga. He has been in stellar form again this season, scoring 44 times in 48 games for PSG, and Mbappe is a surefire bet to add to his 44 goals in 79 games for France.

Les Bleus have also been cheered by the return of Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman who is “physically well” after missing the end of the Bundesliga campaign.

But there are doubts around the fitness of midfield general Adrien Rabiot, who missed the two warm-up matches with muscle fatigue, and Deschamps will make a late call on the Juventus star.   

The France squad is dripping with talent, and there is another emerging star set to shine for Les Bleus. Just as Mbappe burst onto the scene at the 2018 World Cup, this could be a breakout tournament for PSG’s 18-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery.

Is this time for France to end their 24-year European drought? We’ll get some idea when Deschamps’ men face Rangnick’s Austria on Monday.

 

Austria will be happy to soak up the pressure

Austria boss Rangnick is often thought of as a pioneer of pressing and counter-pressing football, and his team has adapted brilliantly to his style with some notable success, beating Germany 2-0 in November as part of a six-match winning run which lasted until this week.

If things go to plan for the underdogs, they could benefit from France’s possession-based game, they can cope with Mbappe and Les Bleus potent strike force and then win in the transition phases.

In a team in which the sum of the parts exceeds the individuals there are no really big names, though Austria will miss captain David Alaba.

Marcel Sabitzer is skipper in Alaba’s absence, and the Borussia Dortmund star will lead a strong midfield, which includes RB Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner, who has 15 goals in 38 games for Das Team, and Bayern Munich’s right-sided star Konrad Laimer.

Inter Milan’s veteran striker Marko Arnautovic will lead the line and, at 6’4”, he is a real handful, but his chances will be at a premium.   

 

History

Les Bleus are twice European Champions in 1984 and 2000, while Austria’s best performance came in 2020 when they reached the Round of 16 for the first time.     

France have had the better of the head-to-head encounters with Austria, winning six, drawing one, and losing two. They met twice in the 2022 UEFA Nations League, with France winning the home match 2-0, while Austria earned a 1-1 draw on their home soil.   

In terms of recent form, the Austrians are in great nick with fives wins and a draw from the last six games, while Les Bleus have won three, drawn two, and lost one. 

 

Betting Tip

At SBOTOP odds of 1.47, Les Bleus are hot favourites to win this game, while the draw is priced at 4.16 with Austria at 5.70, and it would be huge Euro 2024 news were either of those two outcomes to materialise.

Make no mistake, France are here to win the tournament and have immense belief they will succeed. That gives them an advantage over Germany and England, who are under serious pressure as hosts and serial underachievers. Their rivals will hope Les Bleus slip up, but I just can’t see it.

   

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