Austria vs San Marino prediction, H2H and probable line-ups - October 9, 2025
One of the fixtures of Matchday 7 in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign will take place this Thursday at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, where Austria will host San Marino. I'm backing a high-scoring affair here — the odds for this outcome are particularly enticing.
Match preview
Under Ralf Rangnick, Austria have continued to showcase a high level of play and impressive attacking output throughout the qualifiers. Their away victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina marked a fourth consecutive win, allowing the team to maintain a perfect record — 100% wins so far.
Despite this, Austria currently sit second in the group, although they have a game in hand over their nearest rivals. At home, the team has occasionally shown defensive lapses, conceding in almost every match, but their attacking firepower consistently delivers victories.
As expected, San Marino remain the group's main underdogs — losing every qualifier so far with an aggregate score of 1:18. The team hasn’t picked up a point in official tournaments for a long time and has now extended its record losing streak in World Cup qualifying to 58 matches in a row.
Nevertheless, Roberto Cevoli’s players have learned to minimize the damage: in their last eight away fixtures, they've only conceded more than five goals twice. Against sides like Poland, England or the Czech Republic, San Marino have been increasingly successful at avoiding double-digit thrashings, focusing on organized defense.
Probable line-ups
- Austria: Schlager, Laimer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene, Schmid, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Sabitzer, Grillitsch, Arnautović
- San Marino: Colombo, Fabbri, Cevoli, Valentini, Riccardi, Capicchioni, Zannoni, Mularoni, Contadini, Berardi, Nanni
Match facts and head-to-head
- Austria have won four consecutive matches in this qualifying campaign.
- San Marino have lost all their qualifiers with a combined goal difference of 1:18.
- In their previous head-to-head, Austria triumphed 6-0.
Prediction
Austria are overwhelming favorites here, but don’t expect Rangnick’s side to go all out against this opposition. With a crucial match against Romania on the horizon, squad rotation and energy conservation are likely. San Marino may lack flair, but they know how to withstand pressure. Our tip: bet on "Total under 6.5 goals" at odds of 1.65.
