England starts their warm-up for the Euros 2020 in their first international friendly against Austria. The match schedules for Wednesday at Riverside in Middlesbrough, with kickoff at 10 pm.
Gareth Southgate’s men kick-off their Euros 2020 with a match against Croatia later on June 13. Then, however, the Three Lions take a chance at silverware with friendlies against Austria and Romania.
It is no doubt that England remains the favorites to lift the Euros trophy given their recent track record. The best run dates back to the World Cup semi-final when they lost to Croatia.
A home advantage comes a big lift for Gareth Southgate – who recently called a 33-man side for the Euros. Furthermore, a youthful splash of talent gives England a significant boost for their chances over the Russian team in the 2018 World Cup.
Two friendlies will be more than enough to gain momentum as they gear towards a repeat of the World Cup semi-finals against Croatia. Positively, Southgate started 2021 in high gear with three wins in their World Cup qualifiers in March. It is an aggregate of 9-1 with wins over Albania, Poland, and San Marino.
On the other hand, Austria’s last outing ended in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Denmark. However, a 2-2 draw to Group D opponents Scotland could be detrimental in their buildup.
England vs. Austria Head to Head
Both sides have three matches against each other, with England taking two wins while Austria without a win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- England 2-1 Poland
- Albania 0-2 England
- England 5-0 San Marino
- England 4-0 Iceland
- Belgium 2-0 England
Away
- Austria 0-4 Denmark
- Austria 3-1 Faroe Islands
- Scotland 2-2 Austria
- Austria 1-1 Norway
- Austria 2-1 Northern Ireland
England Team News
Southgate will rest the Champions League finalist players from both the Chelsea and Manchester City camp. It means Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, and John Stones are unlikely to feature. However, new faces, including Bukayo Saka, Jesse Lingard, will earn some minutes. Jordan Henderson hasn’t played since February; thus, they will be looking to come back to the side.
Austria Team News
Former West Ham forward Arnauto Arnautovic is unavailable for selection after suffering a thigh injury. In addition, there continue to be building injury concerns for Karim Onsiwo, pictured limped from their training sessions.
Prediction and Odds
England will be looking to build gas for their clash with Croatia but are not at full strength to achieve a whopping.
- England Win
- Goals Under 3.5
- Sancho to Score
