Austria vs Turkiye Prediction: Goals galore in game of the round?
Arguably the most intriguing tie of the last 16 is saved until last at Euro 2024 as Austria meet Turkiye in Leipzig on Tuesday night. This looks like a well-balanced match-up, although Austria have arguably been the standout team of the tournament so far, along with Spain.
There’s now a real belief, that on the right side of the draw, Austria could feasibly make it all the way to the final. If they get past Turkiye, then they will play Romania or the Netherlands for a chance to meet Switzerland or England in the last four. It’s a fantastic opportunity for one of these underdogs to make it to the final in Berlin.
Below I’ve assessed this game and given my Austria vs Turkiye prediction, with betting tips and team news.
Team News
Patrick Wimmer is suspended for Austria so manager Ralf Rangnick will be forced into a change. Christoph Baumgartner is the most likely candidate to come back into the team, at a ground that Rangnick knows well, having been involved with RB Leipzig for several years. Marco Arnautovic or Michael Gregoritsch will start up front, while the rotational policy at the centre of defence looks set to continue.
On the other side, Vincenzo Montella has some issues to contend with. Captain Hakan Calhanoglu is missing through suspension, as is Samet Akaydin, as both were booked in a feisty affair with Czechia. Abdulkerim Bardakci is back from suspension however and will come into defence with West Brom’s Okay Yokuslu a likely candidate to replace Calhanoglu.
Austria predicted starting XI:
Pentz; Posch, Danso, Lienhart, Mwene; Seiwald, Grillitsch; Schmid, Baumgartner, Sabitzer; Arnautovic
Turkey predicted starting XI:
Gunok; Muldur, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Yuksek, Yokuslu; Kahveci, Guler, Yildiz; Yilmaz
Austria vs Turkiye Odds
Austria are the favourites heading into this one, priced at 97/100 to win this game in 90 minutes, while Turkiye can be backed at 31/10. A draw can be backed at 47/20, over 2.5 goals is 9/10 and BTTS is 19/25.
Austria win and over 2.5 goals @ 2/1
I really fancy Austria to go deep into this competition, and I think they should have enough to get past Turkiye. They’ve been so good so far, and surprisingly won a group containing France and the Netherlands, so any chance of them continuing to go under the radar is over.
They are now in my eyes, the strongest side in this half of the draw, but Turkey will give them a good game. They are going to be backed by a vocal crowd, but may come up short based on their defensive weakness. I think this game should feature plenty of goals, given we have seen Turkey also play on the front foot so far. Austria should get the job done in 90 minutes, but I’m expecting a thriller.
Over 4.5 goals @ 5/1
Let’s go one further with this theory. Austria have now scored six goals in their last two games, and their high press means they win the ball back so far up the pitch. They’ve caused all sorts of problems for each of their group opponents and I’d be very surprised if Turkey can keep them out.
However, Montella’s side also loves to attack. With Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, they boast two fearless 19-year-olds who just want to run at defenders, and that could cause Austria problems in a cauldron of an atmosphere. I can quite easily envisage a final scoreline of 3-2 or 4-2 here, which makes the over 4.5 goals a value pick at 5/1.
Check out our other Soccer Betting Predictions here.
