The second game on Friday sees Poland take on Austria in a Group D clash between two teams looking to bounce back following opening-round defeats. Read on for our Poland vs Austria predictions.
Poland vs Austria prediction
For the Poland vs Austria match prediction, we believe the final score will be a 1-0 win in favour of Poland based on our analysis.
The Poles were a tad unlucky against the Dutch, conceding a deflection and a late goal and they certainly weren’t hugely outplayed, while the same can be said for the Austrians, who are also a decent side. We could see useful opponents cancel each out a little here, especially with neither keen to lose for fear of entering match-day three without a point on the board. That said, the Poles look to have a little more in terms of end-product, so they could edge it.
Our predictions for Poland vs Austria are as follows, with analysis to come later in the article:
Poland (0) Asian Handicap @ 7/4 with bet365
Karol Swiderski to Score @ 4/1 with bet365
Poland vs Austria betting odds
Bet | Odds |
---|---|
Poland to win | 31/10 |
Austria to win | 1/1 |
Draw | 13/5 |
Poland vs Austria head-to-head statistics
This will be the first meeting between the nations since 2019, when they drew 0-0 in Euro 2020 qualification.
Interestingly, Poland have never lost to Austria, winning three of the previous five renewals, with the pair also drawing 1-1 when they met back at Euro 2008.
Poland vs Austria preview
This match begins on 21/06/2024 and will be played at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Kick off is at 17:00 GMT.
Of all the teams involved during the first round of group games, Poland were perhaps the most unfortunate.
They took an early lead against the Netherlands and more than held their own for much of the contest, conceding via a rather unlucky deflection in the first half, before Dutch super-sub Wout Weghorst delivered a crushing blow inside the final ten minutes.
As disappointing as that result was for the Poles, they should take plenty of encouragement into this game. They matched a strong side for large portions of that contest and played some good stuff.
They’ve got a mix of pace, power and creativity too, so we shouldn’t be surprised if they get a more positive result here.
The Austrians will also likely have felt hard done by on match-day one. They lost to the French by a single goal, going behind just moments after the lively-looking Christoph Baumgartner missed a golden chance.
Like Poland against Netherlands, this Austria team battled hard against the French and were far from outplayed, so much so that they too should fancy themselves here.
One thing that the Austrians will need to improve is their end-product. They worked the ball into promising positions all game long against Les Bleus, but when push came to shove, they fell down either playing a final ball or executing a final strike.
Poland vs Austria Betting tips
Two bets stand out as viable options at the early prices ahead of Thursday’s second game between Poland and Austria:
Poland (0) Asian Handicap
I’m not going to be too quick to write the Poles off at Euro 2024. Even with Robert Lewandowski far from guaranteed to be fit enough here, they look like a team that is hard to beat.
Not only are they quite sturdy-looking, but they’ve got goals in them too. Target man Adam Buksa proved his worth when nodding home against the Dutch, while Karol Swiderski is another decent option up top.
In Napoli’s Zielinski, Lens’ Frankowski and Fenerbahce’s Szymanski they’ve got plenty of creators too, so don’t be fooled into thinking that this is only a team only a threat at set pieces.
Of course, the Austrians are no mugs, but do they offer the same level of end-product as this Polish team? I’m sceptical. After all, ahead of the tournament, we saw the Poles stick three beyond Ukraine, while they also beat a decent Turkey team just days before heading to Germany.
Prior to that loss against France, they battled hard and got into good offensive positions, but they also gave plenty away, while their lack of final-third productivity meant that they couldn’t beat the Swiss in their final warm-up game either.
The catalyst here is that the Poles just look a little generously priced. For my money, they offered more against the Dutch than the Austrians did against France, which doesn’t appear to be accurately reflected in the early betting.
Karol Swiderksi to Score
I’m also going to play a goalscorer here and Karol Swiderski gets the nod. The Verona forward didn’t feature from the start against the Dutch, but he very nearly came on to devastating effect.
Once on the field in that second half, Swiderski showed good movement, especially when getting on the end of a cross, forcing a fine save from Bart Verbruggen in the Dutch goal.
Having impressed as a sub, with this being a more winnable game, on paper at least, I wouldn’t be surprised if Swiderski is in from the start here and he looks a good bet at odds of 4/1 with bet365.
Let’s face it, this is a man who can certainly offer a threat. He scored 12 goals for Charlotte in Major League Soccer in 2023, showing a level of form good enough to earn him a January move to Serie A with Verona.
In Italy so far, the 27-year-old has scored just two league goals, but it’s not as if he’s played loads, while he averages a very respectable 0.36 goals per 90 minutes.
Moreover, in a Poland shirt, he averaged 0.34 goals per 90 minutes in qualifying, while he posted an eye-catching 0.57 xG off the bench in that first group game.
Recap - Poland vs Austria betting tips
To recap, there are two recommended bets ahead of this Euro 2024 clash:
Poland (0) Asian Handicap @ 7/4 with bet365
Karol Swiderski to Score @ 4/1 with bet365