Everything is on the line when Algeria and Austria meet at Kansas City Stadium on Sunday in their decisive final Group J encounter at the FIFA World Cup. With both nations locked on three points, only one can strengthen their bid for automatic qualification to the last 32.
Algeria head into the contest with renewed confidence after producing one of the most memorable comebacks in their World Cup history.
The Fennecs recovered from an early setback to defeat Jordan 2-1, marking the first time in 11 World Cup matches that they have won after conceding the opening goal. Amine Gouiri sparked the turnaround before Nadhir Benbouali completed the comeback.
Preview
Competing in only their third World Cup this century after appearances in 2010 and 2014, Vladimir Petkovic‘s men are chasing just their second-ever qualification to the knockout rounds. They currently occupy third place in Group J, level on points with Austria but behind on goal difference.
Victory would send Algeria through automatically as group runners-up, although that achievement could come with the daunting reward of facing reigning European champions Spain in the next round.
Austria, meanwhile, endured a difficult outing against Argentina on matchday two. An early strike from Lionel Messi proved decisive, and despite enjoying spells of possession, Ralf Rangnick’s side struggled to unlock a disciplined Argentine defence.
Even so, Das Team have impressed on their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence. Their tournament began with a hard-fought victory over Jordan, secured by veteran striker Marko Arnautovic, whose late winner earned Austria their first World Cup triumph since 1990.
Austria will be determined to avoid consecutive competitive defeats for the first time since September 2022, knowing that even a draw could prove enough to keep their World Cup journey alive, depending on other results.
Prediction
- Draw with odds of 2.20 on 1xbet.
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Player to watch
Amine Gouiri: scored against Jordan, has five goals in six recent Algeria games and 11 goals, two assists in 25 overall caps.
