Austria need a World Cup qualifying win. Will they have the firepower to trouble the mighty Denmark in Copenhagen?

Austria travel to the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Tuesday evening for the latest round of World Cup 2022 qualifying battles in Group F. Hosts Denmark have achieved perfection so far in this campaign, whilst Austria have underperformed and currently sit fourth in the group with only three games remaining.

In their last qualifying games, top of the table Denmark thrashed Moldova 4-0 in Chișinău. At the same time, Austria travelled to minnows the Faroe Islands and came away with a 2-0 victory.

In team news, Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand decided not to rest any players against Moldova, but may now opt to change things slightly with three games in the space of 72 hours. Equally, however, he may not want to risk losing the Danes’ imposing 100% record.

English Premier League regulars Andreas Christensen and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg are perhaps the most likely candidates to miss this fixture should Hjulmand choose to rotate his squad. They are both just one yellow card away from suspension.

Yussuf Poulsen led the attacking line when Denmark thumped Moldova. However, he was unable to add to the single goal he has scored so far in six appearances during the campaign. The striker therefore could be dropped from the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Austria have a number of injury problems. Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic and have withdrawn from the squad due to injury, whilst Philipp Lienhart, Aleksandar Dragovic, and Valentino Lazaro are also unavailable. 

Florian Grillitsch and Stefan Ilsankar are also one yellow card away from a suspension but will surely play in this crucial showdown against the toughest opposition in the group. Franco Foda’s Austrians desperately need to win here and hope other results go their way!

Denmark are flying high in the group and are playing at home against a depleted side without a clear frontman. Expect a comfortable 2-0 win for the Danes!