Wales vs. Austria 3/24/22 UEFA World Cup Qualifications Playoffs Soccer Pick, Predictions, and Odds

Wales and Austria are clashing at Cardiff City Stadium in the semifinals of the UEFA World Cup Qualifications playoffs. Wales has ended up in second place thanks to their great run in the qualifications, but the draw against Belgium in the last round was instrumental. Austria has ended in 4^th place of their group, but because they have done well in the Nations League, they earned their place here.

Wales is on a 7-game streak without a loss, but they have only 3 wins during that streak. Thanks to that draw against Belgium, Wales has ended in 2^nd place with 15 points. The defense Wales has had for years is not as good as it used to be, and Wales has conceded 9 goals in 8 games in the qualifications. Thankfully, their offense was productive, and Wales has scored 14 goals. Bale, Of course, is the best player Wales has with 3 goals and 3 assists, but it’s been a while since he played a game. Alongside Bale, there are a few good players in the Wales national squad, but they will also need to play their best game yet if they want to qualify for the finals.

Austria wasn’t playing particularly well in these qualifications, but because of their good result in the Nations League, they have qualified for these playoffs. Offensively, Austria was outstanding with 19 scored goals, but their defense on the other hand was just horrible with 17 conceded goals in 10 games. That kind of defense will cost Austria in this game unless, of course, they were able to work on it over the last few days. Arnautovic has been Austria’s best player with 5 goals and 2 assists, but he will need to step up even more in this game. Austria is the away team, they won’t have a lot of their fans, and it’s never easy to play in Wales. The good news for Austria is they have a lot of great players in good form, starting with Alaba from Real Madrid, Laimer from Leipzig, Sabitzer from Bayern, and Onisiwo from Mainz. A lot of Austrian players are playing in Bundesliga, and they are among the best players for their respected clubs.

Wales has been a bit more consistent in this matchup, but Austria can score a lot of goals. I think one of these two teams will score early in this game, which is why I will take the over in this one, and the plus money makes it that much easier to pick.