France Kick off Euros vs Upstart Austria
Mbappe, France Among Tournament Favorites
Austria Much Improved Under Rangnick
France head into Germany as one of the favorites to take home the Euro 2024 trophy. It’s the one international trophy that has eluded Kylian Mbappe, and he’s expressed how much it means to him and France to win it. They’ll kick off their Euro campaign vs. upstart Austria on Monday in a tricky Group D, which also contains the Netherlands and Poland. Under Ralf Rangnick, Austria are much improved but they are +485 underdogs for this one. We’ll take a closer look at the rest of the Austria vs France Euro odds later on and preview this intriguing match.
Austria vs France
Date & Time: Monday, June 17th, 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
Austria vs France Head-to-Head
France have lost just one of their last ten games vs. Austria. The only meetings in the past decade were in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, where they drew 1-1 in Austria and France won 2-0 on home soil. This is the first chance to bet on the Austria vs France Euro odds, as their only major tournament meetings have been in the World Cup. All-time, France leads the series 13-9, and three of them have finished in draws.
Austria in Excellent Form
Heading into Euro 2024, Austria have lost just one of their last 16 games. In eight UEFA Euro qualifiers games, Austria went 6-1-1 and they’re in their third straight European Championship. Last time around, they reached the Round of 16, where they took eventual champions Italy to extra time.
They’re in a difficult group, but they could be one of the surprises of Euro 2024. Midfielder Christoph Baumgartner has scored in five straight matches for Austria, and he’s certainly one to watch for. Marcel Sabitzer, who helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League Final is another key player, led Austria with four goals in qualifiers. He’s a key midfielder, along with Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer. Experienced forward Marko Arnautovic is back for one last go around, but Michael Gregoritsch is also capable of leading the line.
Austria are dealing with a number of injuries. Real Madrid defender David Alaba is out with an ACL injury but was named to the squad as a “non-playing captain”. Meanwhile, forward Sasa Kalajdzic and midfielder Xaver Schlager are also out for Euro 2024. While it remains to be seen if they’ll adjust vs. France, Austria usually play an all-action high pressing style.
Usual Suspects for France
The France National football team fell just short at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, losing to Argentina in penalties in the Final. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick in that match, and he’s a Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament candidate in Germany. Before Mbappe’s Real Madrid career starts, he’ll want to win silverware with the national team. His supporting cast isn’t much changed from 2022.
Didier Deschamps is known to stick with his favorites and that’s the case here. Olivier Giroud, France’s all-time leading goal scorer, should still lead the line. Meanwhile, no one would be surprised if Antoine Griezmann led the tournament in assists. Mbappe also created for his teammates a bunch in qualifiers. He was by far France’s best player, with nine goals and five assists.
His new Real Madrid teammates, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are handy midfielders for Deschamps to have. N’Golo Kante is still in the squad as well, despite playing his club soccer in Saudi Arabia. France’s potential backline of Theo Hernandez, William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate and Jules Kounde is the tournament’s best defensive group. Currently, France show -190 odds to win Group D and +400 odds to win Euro 2024.
Austria vs France Match Analysis & Odds
Austria managed to beat Germany 2-0 in a friendly last November and defeated Turkey 6-1 in March. They can compete with Europe’s best teams and this is a litmus test for Ralf Rangnick’s side. Here, the Austria vs France Euro odds price France as -185 favorites. With a big match vs. the Netherlands looming, France will prioritize getting three points in their opener.
A draw sits at +345 odds, while Austria are +485 underdogs for this one. Austria haven’t beaten France since 2008 and Les Bleus are simply stacked. Marcus Thuram is coming off an incredible first season with Inter Milan and the forward/winger could be an x-factor for France.
Austria +1 and France -1 are both priced at -115 odds. Over 2.5 goals sit at -145 and this is certainly a match where both teams could get on the scoresheet. Mbappe has 47 goals in 79 appearances for France and he’ll be looking to kick off the Euros with a bang.
