Already out of contention to reach the finals despite winning the last edition of this competition and winless in four UEFA Nations League games so far in this group, coach Didier Deschamps appears to have some major problems to solve.
France
For the current World Cup holders France, the unthinkable could very well be about to happen, as defeat against Austria would see them relegated from UEFA Nations League group A1. Already out of contention to reach the finals despite winning the last edition of this competition and winless in four UEFA Nations League games so far in this group, coach Didier Deschamps appears to have some major problems to solve. To do just that, Deschamps has called up three new faces in a bid to galvanise his squad before they head to Qatar to defend their World Cup crown in just two months time. The last thing France need is to enter the winter’s showpiece event on a downer. Still, six wins from the previous nine internationals against Austria could indicate a potential French revival here.
Austria
This game takes on added importance for Austria, who are realistically the only team France can catch in their bid to avoid a relegation, with Croatia needing just a point from a home clash with an already safe Denmark to secure their place in the top league next term. Should Croatia beat Denmark and Austria pull off an upset against France, Das Team would still be in contention for a finals spot going into their final group game. With no World Cup appearance on the horizon after being knocked out in the play-off round by Wales (2-1), Austria can afford to put all their eggs into the UEFA Nations League basket. Austria have Ralf Rangnick at the helm and may see brighter days in major tournaments ahead, but for now, they will at least want to retain their League A status after their League B triumph of 2020/21.
France’s Kylian Mbappe has scored the game’s final goal on four of his last five international scoring appearances, including in the reverse UEFA Nations League H2H. Aiming to marshall him, 2021 Austrian footballer of the year David Alaba has won four of his seven games against Mbappe at the club level. Austria have never drawn a UEFA Nations League away game.