Argentina v Austria preview: Messi leads in-form Albiceleste into high-stakes group clash

Argentina face Austria on 22 June at 17:00 (GMT) in a key group-stage match, with Lionel Messi’s three-goal haul this season contrasting with Romano Schmid’s single strike for the Austrians.

The fixture, set in a league-format group system, carries weight for the standings, with both Argentina and Austria coming into the game on winning runs. Argentina’s last five matches show a perfect record of wins, while Austria also arrive on the back of a sequence of victories. Momentum, recent form and attacking efficiency point towards an open contest with implications at the top of the group table.

The key statistics of the players of both teams this season:

• Assists: Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) — 1 assists, Xaver Schlager (Austria) — 1 assists.
• Goalkeepers saves: Emiliano Martínez (Argentina) — 0, Alexander Schlager (Austria) — 3
• Tackles: None (Argentina) — None, None (Austria) — None.
• Most encounters won: Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) — 5, Stefan Posch (Austria) — 6.
• Yellow cards: None (Argentina) — None, None (Austria) — None.
• Red cards: None (Argentina) — None, None (Austria) — None.

Top 5 scorers this season:

1. J. David (3, Canada)
2. L. Messi (3, Argentina)
3. J. Manzambi (2, Switzerland)
4. C. Larin (2, Canada)
5. F. Balogun (2, USA)

Team statistics:

Argentina have been clinical at home in this campaign, recording their biggest victory with a 3-0 scoreline. That result underlines their ability to control games and convert dominance into goals in front of their own support. Their home record this season stands at one win, zero draws and zero losses, reflecting a 100% return in front of their fans. The clean sheet in that 3-0 success highlights the team’s defensive discipline to match its attacking flair.

The five previous matches played by the teams:

• Argentina — W
• Austria — W

Austria have been equally efficient away from home, starting their campaign on the road with one win, zero draws and zero losses. Their biggest away success so far has been recorded without conceding, a sign that their compact structure and counter-attacking threat can travel. While their home statement win came by a 3-1 scoreline, their away strength lies in resilience, shape and the ability to take chances when they arise.

According to home statistics this season, Argentina scores more goals and concedes more in the following intervals:

Intervals	Goal Scored, %	Goals conceded, %
0-15	33.33%
16-30	33.33%
31-45	33.33%
46-60
61-75
76-90
91-105

Austria has the following time frames of scoring and conceding goals:

Intervals	Goal Scored, %	Goals conceded, %
0-15	50.00%	50.00%
16-30	50.00%	50.00%
31-45
46-60
61-75
76-90
91-105

Head-to-head stats:

Teams	Games	Win		Draws		Losses
		H	A	H	A	H	A
Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Austria		0	0	0	0	0	0

Probabilities before the match:

Argentina		Austria
50.0%	Winning the game	50.0%
50%	Attack potential	50%
100%	Potential in defense	100%
0%	Strength against each other	0%
0%	Goal Potential	0%

Summary: the probability of Austria winning – 10%, draw – 45%, loss – 45%. Thus Argentina, most likely, win (win or draw)

Goal Forecast:Argentina, is likely to score -3.5 goals, Austria is likely to score no more than -3.5.

The bookmaker odds for this match:

Home win	Draw	Away win
SBO 1.63	Bet365 3.92	BetVictor 6.39

Save the date

The match between the teams Argentina and Austria will take place on June 22 at 17:00 (GMT) at the stadium AT&T Stadium.