Match preview: Argentina vs Austria

Lionel Messi is on the verge of making men’s FIFA World Cup history as Argentina prepares to meet Austria in a Group J clash at Dallas Stadium. The Argentina captain enters the match after scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria, taking his total to 61 career hat-tricks across club and international football.

Messi is now just one goal away from surpassing Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals, which would make him the competition’s all-time top scorer. He is also aiming to become only the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches, with his streak stretching back to Argentina’s title-winning campaign four years ago.

Argentina could secure qualification for the knockout stage as group winners if they defeat Austria and Jordan fail to beat Algeria. Austria also remains in contention for the top spot in the group, but their opening 3-1 win over Jordan required a late turnaround after a testing performance.

Argentina’s form and Messi’s influence

Messi’s performance against Algeria highlighted his continued importance to Argentina despite being 38 years old. He was directly involved in eight of Argentina’s ten shots in that match, producing six attempts on goal and creating two chances.

Alongside his attacking output, Argentina also delivered a strong defensive display by preventing Algeria from registering a single shot on target. Lionel Scaloni’s side, therefore, approaches the Austria match with confidence in both areas of the pitch after a controlled performance in their previous outing.

Scaloni is expected to make a few changes to his lineup, with Nahuel Molina potentially coming in after recovering from a minor muscle issue, which could see Gonzalo Montiel drop out of the starting team.

Last 5 Argentina matches stats

Austria’s form and squad situation

Austria arrives in strong recent form, having won their last four matches in all competitions and claiming victory in ten of their previous twelve games. Despite this run, their 3-1 win over Jordan in the opening group match included long spells where they struggled to impose themselves before eventually pulling away late in the game.

Romano Schmid opened the scoring in that match, but Jordan equalised through Ali Olwan before Austria retook the lead in the 76th minute via an own goal by Yazan Al Arab. Marko Arnautović later added a penalty to make the scoreline more comfortable than the performance suggested.

Austria may also face selection concerns, with David Alaba, Stefan Posch, and Alessandro Schöpf all training separately due to fitness issues. Posch has been using a protective mask after suffering a broken jaw in the previous match.

Last 5 Austria matches stats

Head-to-head record and historical notes

There is limited historical context between Argentina and Austria, as the teams have met only in friendly matches, with the most recent encounter taking place 36 years ago. That meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in Vienna, while another meeting in 1980 in the same city also took place.

Historically, Argentina have lost only one of their last eight World Cup group-stage matches against European opposition, with Croatia beating them 3-0 in 2018. Austria, meanwhile, have struggled against South American teams over time, winning only one of their last ten matches against such opponents since their 1982 World Cup victory over Chile, with their other win coming in a 2017 friendly against Uruguay.

Past H2H Results

Prediction and expected outcome

Argentina enter this match as clear favourites thanks to their dominant defensive performance against Algeria and the exceptional influence of Lionel Messi in attack. With Messi contributing directly to much of their offensive output and coming off a hat-trick, Argentina have both creativity and finishing power to decide tight matches. Lionel Scaloni’s side also showed defensive control by not allowing Algeria a single shot on target, which underlines their balance and discipline. Austria, however, arrive in strong recent form with four straight wins and ten victories in their last twelve matches, showing they are capable of sustaining pressure in a tournament setting. Their opening 3-1 win over Jordan also demonstrated resilience, although they spent long periods under pressure and required late moments to secure control of the game. The most likely scenario is Argentina dominating possession and chances, while Austria attempts to stay compact and strike through transitions, but Argentina’s overall quality and Messi’s influence should tip the balance.

Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Austria

Expected outcome: A controlled Argentine victory where Austria remains competitive for spells, but Argentina’s structure and attacking efficiency ultimately secure top position in the group.