2026-2027 Nations League: Austria vs. Ireland, Probable Lineups

Austria faces the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, November 14, at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, on the penultimate matchday of Group B3 in the UEFA Nations League. Ralf Rangnick’s team leads the standings with eight points and, with a win, would secure promotion to League A with one matchday to spare. The Irish, tied for third with Kosovo at five points, have the opportunity to get back on track and catch up to the group leader.

Austria began its group campaign with two consecutive wins before stumbling in subsequent matches. They followed that with a 2-2 draw against Ireland and a 1-1 home draw against Kosovo. Rangnick’s team can still count on a particularly strong home record: in their last 14 matches played in front of their home crowd, they’ve recorded 11 wins and three draws. However, there’s room for improvement on the defensive end, as the Austrians have conceded at least one goal in each of their last eight matches.

For the match in Linz, Rangnick is expected to field Felix Bacher and Kevin Danso in the center of the defense, in front of goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Up front, the team will be without Marco Grüll, who is injured, and Patrick Wimmer, who was not called up. Raúl Florucz could therefore get a chance on the right wing.

The Republic of Ireland bounced back from its 1-0 opening-match loss to Kosovo with a convincing 3-0 victory over Israel. In the following two matchdays, however, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team earned only two points, drawing 2-2 against Austria and 1-1 with Israel.

The Irish can still look to their most recent head-to-head record with confidence, as they are unbeaten in their last three matches against the Austrians. Troy Parrott and Adam Idah are expected to start up front, while Finn Azaz and Conor Coventry are expected in midfield.

Probable Lineups

Austria (4-2-3-1): Schlager; Posch, Bacher, Danso, Laimer; Seiwald, Schlager; Florucz, Schmid, Prass; Gregoritsch.

Republic of Ireland (3-4-3): Kelleher; O’Shea, Egan, Scales; Abankwah, Azaz, Coventry, Manning; Moylan, Idah, Parrott.