Austria hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on Tuesday for a winner-takes-all Group H finale, with kickoff at 20:45 CET. The hosts need only a draw to secure automatic World Cup qualification, while Bosnia must win to leapfrog Austria atop the group and avoid the March playoffs.
Austria vs Bosnia: Vienna Hosts World Cup Qualification Decider
The stakes crystallized after both teams won on Friday. Austria leads Group H with 18 points to Bosnia’s 16, setting up a decisive final match where Austria controls its destiny while Bosnia faces a must-win scenario. The loser settles for a playoff berth.
The head-to-head timeline shows 2 Austria wins, 3 draws, and 1 Bosnia victory across their last six meetings. Austria remains unbeaten at home against Bosnia, though two of their three Vienna encounters ended level, including a 0-0 draw in the 2018 Nations League. Crucially, Austria won September’s reverse fixture 2-1 in Bosnia.
Austria enters with 5 wins and 1 loss in their last 6 overall, averaging 3.0 goals per game while conceding just 0.33. Their last 3 home qualifiers produced victories over San Marino 10-0, Cyprus 1-0, and Romania 2-1, maintaining their perfect home record with 17.3 shots per game.
Bosnia’s last 6 overall shows 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, scoring 2.83 goals per game while allowing 1.0. Away from home in qualifiers, they remain unbeaten with 2 wins and 1 draw, including a 6-0 demolition of San Marino and a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Romania.
The tactical battle pits Ralf Rangnick’s high-possession Austria, averaging 63% of the ball with 17.3 shots and 7.0 on target per game, against Sergej Barbarez’s more selective Bosnia side that averages 45.5% possession but still finds the net regularly with 8.8 shots and 3.8 on target per match.
Austria faces a significant defensive blow with right-back Stefan Posch suspended, adding to injuries for Maximilian Wober and Gernot Trauner. However, captain David Alaba’s return from injury against Cyprus provides a massive boost, while goalkeeper Alexander Schlager also returned to the lineup.
Bosnia’s defense is depleted with Sead Kolasinac out injured, alongside absences for Anel Ahmedhodzic and Arjan Malic, leaving them vulnerable against Austria’s potent attack that has scored 21 goals in nine qualifiers.
Both teams are expected to deploy 4-2-3-1 formations. Austria’s projected lineup: A. Schlager; Laimer, Danso, Lienhart, Alaba; X. Schlager, Seiwald; Schmid, Baumgartner, Sabitzer; Arnautovic. Bosnia’s likely eleven: Vasilj; Gazibegovic, Barisic, Radeljic, Dedic; Tahirovic, Hajradinovic; Bajraktarevic, Memic, Demirovic; Dzeko.
Numbers to Watch
Austria’s 0.33 goals conceded per game in their last six matches. Bosnia’s perfect away record in qualifying meets Austria’s six-match home unbeaten streak. The hosts’ 85% passing accuracy versus Bosnia’s 79% could prove decisive in controlling the match tempo.
Where to watch
The match airs on Fox Sports and FOX Soccer Plus in the USA, streaming on Fubo and ViX, Tuesday at 2:45 PM EST.
