Preview: Austria vs North Macedonia

2024-10-11

As UEFA Euro 2020 Group C unfolds, Austria seeks to break past group-stage barriers against a spirited North Macedonia, whose tactical flexibility promises a thrilling encounter at Arena Națională in Bucharest.

Austria

Austria will be coming into this fixture after a goalless draw against Slovakia on the 6th of June in an international friendly match. Before that tie, Austria had lost twice—against England, 1-0, and against Denmark, 4-0. Those were the only defeats recorded by Austria in the last six games across all international competitions: DDWLLD.

The 55-year-old coach, Franco Foda, won the Austrian Cup with Sturm Graz in 2010 and the Austrian Bundesliga a year later in 2011. He began managing Austria on New Year's Day in 2018 and has achieved a 59%-win rate with 20 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses over 34 games.

His 26-man squad includes Bundesliga title winner with Bayern Munich, David Alaba, who signed a contract with Real Madrid in May and will be playing for Los Blancos next season. Borussia Mönchengladbach's Stefan Lainer and Mainz 05's Karim Onisiwo were also named alongside Leipzig's duo, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer.

Austria has never progressed beyond the group stage in this competition and will be looking to do so in their third attempt after their first appearance in UEFA Euro 2008. A conventional 4—4—2 formation should be the preferred choice by coach Franco Foda when Austria makes their debut appearance at Euro 2020.

North Macedonia

Meanwhile, North Macedonia will be coming into this fixture after a 4-0 win over Kazakhstan in an international friendly played on the 4th of June. Leeds' Ezgjan Alioski opened the floodgates with the first goal, converting from the penalty spot to give North Macedonia the lead.

With the numerical advantage at the stroke of halftime, after Kazakhstan's Serikzhan Muzhikov was sent off, North Macedonia capitalized by scoring three more goals. Ivan Trickovski, Milan Ristovski, and Darko Churlinov all hit the back of the net, securing a convincing victory.

This win gives them three victories in six games across all international competitions (LLWWDW). Coach Igor Angelovski will be eager to add another win to his tally, boasting a 46% win rate from 23 victories out of 50 games since taking the helm in October 2015.

His squad features notable players like Dinamo Zagreb's Stefan Ristovski, Ezgjan Alioski, Genoa's Goran Pandev, and Mallorca's Aleksandar Trajkovski. The squad is further strengthened by Napoli's Eljif Elmas and Stuttgart's Darko Churlinov.

A flexible 3-5-2 formation is expected, with potential to shift into a defensive 5-3-2 or an attacking 3-4-3 during play. This strategic versatility will be crucial for their upcoming match.