This Thursday, Matchday 7 of the 2026 World Cup qualifying will see Austria take on San Marino at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. A high-scoring game is anticipated, with attractive odds for this outcome.
Match preview
Under Ralf Rangnick, Austria has maintained strong performance and an impressive attack in the qualifiers. Their recent away win against Bosnia and Herzegovina marked their fourth consecutive victory, keeping their record perfect with no losses.
Currently, Austria sits second in the group but has a game in hand over the teams below them. At home, they have occasionally struggled defensively, allowing goals in nearly every match, yet their offense has secured wins consistently.
San Marino remains the group’s clear underdogs, having lost every qualifier with a total score of 1:18. They haven’t earned any points in a long time and now have a record streak of 58 consecutive losses in World Cup qualifiers.
However, under the guidance of Roberto Cevoli, San Marino has managed to limit their defeats: in their last eight away games, they have conceded more than five goals only twice. Against stronger teams like Poland and England, they have increasingly focused on defense to avoid heavy losses.
Probable line-ups
- Austria: Schlager, Laimer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene, Schmid, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Sabitzer, Grillitsch, Arnautović
- San Marino: Colombo, Fabbri, Cevoli, Valentini, Riccardi, Capicchioni, Zannoni, Mularoni, Contadini, Berardi, Nanni
Match facts and head-to-head
- Austria has won four straight matches in this qualifying campaign.
- San Marino has lost all matches with a combined score of 1:18.
- In their last encounter, Austria won 6-0.
Prediction
Austria is expected to win comfortably, but they may not push too hard due to an important match against Romania coming up. They might rotate their squad and conserve energy. While lacking flair, San Marino understands how to handle pressure. The suggestion: bet on “Total under 6.5 goals” at odds of 1.65.