Austria were Group D winners ahead of France and the Netherlands, having produced three impressive displays in the group stage.
Austria are a rarity at the European Championship - a team labelled as a dark horse that has actually managed to perform well. Their pressing style under coach Ralf Rangnick has been lifted straight out of the Red Bull playbook, with many of their players spending time at one of their clubs in Salzburg or Leipzig.
Austria are hoping that solid foundation can take them on an incredible run at the Euros this summer, with Turkey their opponent in the first round of the knockouts.
Austria have won eight of their last 10 international matches after their strong showing in the group stage, with that run including a one-sided victory over their next opponents.
Back in March, these two teams met in a friendly and Turkey simply couldn’t live with the intense pressing from Austria. Rangnick’s side ran out 6-1 winners in that contest, blowing away a Turkey side who comfortably qualified for the Euros.
This is the worst possible draw for Turkey after a solid showing in the last round. Vincenzo Montella led his team to two wins from three Group F matches, suffering a comprehensive 3-0 loss to Portugal in their toughest match at the last stage.
Turkey have a strong following at the Euros, but that excellent support isn’t likely to help them here. Even with time to prepare, it’s going to be hard for a Turkish side that were so shaken by the intense pressing of the Austrians to adapt in time for this crucial clash.
Austria have put in three strong displays at this tournament and what they lack in star names is made up for by arguably the most cohesive system at the tournament. They deserve to be shorter priced favorites, so take them to progress within 90 minutes.
One of Austria’s many strengths is their finishers in the final third. Marcel Sabitzer’s switch from central midfielder to left winger has been impressive, but that move has pushed Leipzig forward Baumgartner into a more central role.
Playing in his club stadium, Baumgartner should be well-placed to continue a stellar scoring record for his country. The forward has scored in six of his last eight games for Austria, including a strike against Poland at this tournament.
Baumgartner has Austria’s second-highest non-penalty Expected Goals tally at the tournament so far, despite limited chances. He’s had three shots on goal and hit the target with each of them.
Given how Turkey struggled against Austria when these two last met, Baumgartner should get on the end of another chance and he’s good value to double his tally at this tournament.
Rangnick’s side failed to score in a tight game with France, but they came alive after that. They’ve beaten Poland 3-1 and the Netherlands 3-2 in their last two games. When you throw in the fact that Turkey shipped six goals when these two last met, then Austria are likely to rack up an impressive score in this contest.
Austria’s press is an effective way of creating chances, as they win the ball back high up the pitch and immediately move into dangerous positions. They take on a Turkey side who have allowed five goals in their last three games, failing to keep a clean sheet.
Georgia should have scored more than once against them, while Portugal cruised to a 3-0 win. Given the intensity of Rangnick’s side, they’re good value to score a few goals.
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Austria | -106 |
Tie | +225 |
Turkey | +333 |
Marko Arnautovic (Austria) | +187 |
Maximilian Entrup (Austria) | +210 |
Michael Gregoritsch (Austria) | +210 |
Christoph Baumgartner (Austria) | +250 |
Cenk Tosun (Turkey) | +333 |
Semih Kilicsoy (Turkey) | +350 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.