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In the third of four matches during this international break, the Republic of Ireland return home to face group leaders Austria in another UEFA Nations League encounter.
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side claimed their first win of the campaign at the weekend, thrashing Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, with Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan all finding the net inside the opening 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, Austria head to Dublin top of the group and full of confidence after securing back-to-back 3-1 victories over Israel and Kosovo.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Ireland vs. Austria key stats
- The Republic of Ireland have lost just once in 90 minutes of football since October 11, 2025.
- The weekend win for the Irish was played out in front of an official crowd of 319.
- Austria have not lost since a World Cup knockout defeat to eventual winners Spain in the summer.
- Ralf Rangnick's side have recorded identical 3-1 victories in their opening two Nations League matches.
- Das Team have not kept a clean sheet in six matches.
Ireland vs. Austria preview: Can the Irish make it two wins in a row and draw level with the group leaders?
Ireland vs Austria — Tale of the Tape
| Ireland | vs | Austria |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Position (Nations League) | 1st |
| 3 | Points | 6 |
| 3 | Goals For | 6 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 2 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 3rd / 1st | Home / Away Rank | 1st / 2nd |
After a weekend surrounded by controversy, the Republic of Ireland left Hungary with three points in the Nations League, comfortably beating Israel 3-0 in a match played in front of a reported 12 Irish fans.
Three goals during the early stages of the contest put Heimir Hallgrímsson's side in control, with the ‘hosts' struggling to seriously test Caoimhin Kelleher.
The first victory of the 2026-27 Nations League campaign was the ideal response to Ireland's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Kosovo in their opener, when the Boys in Green struggled to create enough clear-cut opportunities.
The result was their third win of the calendar year in all competitions, while their 1-0 defeat to Kosovo last week remains their only loss in just under their last 12 months of football.
Ireland now face a much stronger challenge in Dublin on Thursday, with Austria arriving in search of a third consecutive victory.
Ralf Rangnick's Austria have made a perfect start to their 2026-27 Nations League campaign, recording consecutive 3-1 victories over Israel and Kosovo.
Those successive wins followed a World Cup knockout defeat to eventual champions Spain in North America over the summer, with Das Team responding strongly after missing out on promotion to League A in the 2024-25 Nations League despite collecting 11 points from six matches and averaging more than two goals per game.
That attacking efficiency has continued into their latest Nations League fixtures, with Austria scoring six times across their opening two matches.
However, their defensive issues have remained, with a late penalty conceded in their latest outing extending their run without a clean sheet to six matches.
Ireland and Austria faced each other four times between 2013 and 2017, with one win each and two draws in the other fixtures, but the pair have not met since.
Ireland vs. Austria form guide & betting tips
| Ireland | vs | Austria |
|---|---|---|
L W | Form | W W |
| 3 | Points | 6 |
| 3rd | Form Table | 1st |
| 3 | Goals For | 6 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 2 |
W W D L W | Form (All Comps) | L D L W W |
Whispers predicts: Ireland 2-2 Austria
With Austria boasting a strong attack but having failed to keep a clean sheet since their 1-0 win over Tunisia in June, we are expecting an entertaining contest in Dublin on Thursday night.
Our prediction of a 2-2 draw is priced at 50/1, while a draw at any score is available at 23/20.
With that in mind, we are backing Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score, which currently have odds of 6/5 and 10/11 respectively.
Troy Parrott scored his 12th international goal on Sunday evening and is priced at 11/5 to add to his tally.
> Draw at 23/20 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 6/5 | Likelihood: Likely
> Both Teams to Score at 10/11 | Likelihood: Likely
> Correct score of 2-2 at 50/1 | Likelihood: Big Outsider
> Troy Parrott to score anytime at 11/5 | Likelihood: Likely