Ralf Ragnick’s in-form Austria will take on Didier Deschamps’ heavyweights France in their 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) Group D opener on Monday night (June 17). Continue reading to learn all you need to know about the mouth-watering European bash.
EURO 2024: Austria vs. France – Date, Time & Where To Watch In US
Austria and France will lock horns at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf on Monday night. The game will kick off at 9:00 p.m. local time (CEST) / 3 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT.
Fans in the United States can catch the game live on TV on FOX. Alternatively, one can stream the game live on Fubo, Sling TV, Peacock TV, Vidgo, and YouTube TV.
Austria vs. France – Preview
Form
Former Manchester United boss Rangnick was one of the favorites to succeed Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich. However, the Austrian boss had enough trust in his current team to turn down one of the biggest soccer clubs on the planet.
Under his tutelage (appointed June 2022), Austria have become one of the most in-form teams in Europe. They won six of eight games in their European Championship qualifier group, finishing just a point behind group winners Belgium.
Austria, who have yet to go beyond the Round-of-16 in EUROs, are coming into the game against France in top shape. Austria bagged four wins in their last five matches and drew the other. They were at their ruthless best in their victory against Turkey at the end of March, picking up a commanding 6-1 win over the Turks.
While Austria are one of the ‘Dark horses’ of EURO 2024, Deschamps’ France have to do justice to their favorites tag. Les Bleus, who came agonizingly close to winning consecutive FIFA World Cups in December 2022, have not won the European Championship since Zinedine Zidane guided them to glory in 2000. They reached the final in EURO 2016 but Portugal had the last laugh.
Their last European Championship campaign, in 2021, was particularly disappointing. Kylian Mbappe and Co. lost to Switzerland in the Round of 16, crashing out on penalties after playing out a 3-3 draw over 120 minutes.
Unlike Austria, France’s recent form has not been all that impressive. In their last five games, Deschamps’ team won two, lost once, and drew the other two. Their sole defeat came against Germany (2-0) in March.
Head-To-Head
As per the data from Khelnow, Austria and France have met each other 25 times over the years. France, with 13 wins, have the edge in head-to-heads. Austria, meanwhile, have won nine matches and drawn thrice.
Austria vs. France – Prediction
Austria’s brilliant form pretty much ensures that we will have a cracker of a contest on Monday night. However, Dechamps’ France simply have way too much firepower to mess up their Group D opener. We are predicting France will secure a 3-1 win on Monday night.
Source : SportsLens