Match Preview

Matchday 8 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers between Romania and Austria will take place on October 12 at the National Arena in Bucharest. Romania – Austria: prediction and bet, odds, statistics.

Romania

Romania’s Current Form

Mircea Lucescu’s squad skipped the previous round and played a friendly match against Moldova, which they won 2-1. In the current qualifying cycle, Romania has secured two victories in five matches (1 draw, 2 losses), with maximum points only achieved against underdogs – Cyprus and San Marino. Furthermore, the team has kept a clean sheet only once in this qualification campaign. In the group table, the Romanians are third with seven points.

Key Romania Statistics

• At least one opponent failed to score in six of the national team’s last six home World Cup qualifiers.
• The team kept a clean sheet in 4 of their last 5 home matches in World Cup qualification.
• No goals were scored in the second half in Romania’s last six home matches in World Cup qualifiers.

Romania’s Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)

Horațiu Moldovan – Andrei Rațiu, Virgil Ghiță, Andrei Burcă, Raul Opruț – Răzvan Marin, Nicolae Stanciu, Marius Marin – Dennis Man, Denis Drăguș, Valentin Mihăilă.

Team News: Romania

Defender Nicușor Bancu will miss the match due to suspension.

Austria

Austria’s Recent Form

In the previous round, Ralf Rangnick’s side hammered San Marino in a home fixture (10-0). As a result, Austria secured their largest ever victory and won their fifth consecutive World Cup qualifier. Moreover, during this run, the team conceded only two goals. The national team has a 100% record in the current qualifiers and leads their group table.

Key Austria Statistics

• The team won 7 of their last 8 matches in World Cup qualification.
• The national team scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in 7 of their last 9 away matches in World Cup qualification.
• At least three goals were scored in 7 of Austria’s last 8 World Cup qualifiers.

Austria’s Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)

Alexander Schlager – Konrad Laimer, Philipp Lienhart, David Alaba, Philipp Mwene – Romano Schmid, Nicolas Seiwald, Patrick Wimmer, Christoph Baumgartner, Marcel Sabitzer – Marko Arnautović.

Team News: Austria

Defenders Max Wöber, Gernot Trauner, Stefan Lainer, midfielder Xaver Schlager, and forward Andreas Weimann are out due to injuries.

Referee

Referee Profile

Davide Massa (Italy)

Referee Statistics

Matches – 18 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellow) – 55;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;

Red cards shown – 3;

Average fouls per match – 20;

Penalties awarded – 28%.

Match Prediction: Romania vs Austria

Romania’s Offensive Struggles

In the current qualifying cycle, the Romanians are performing poorly and are unlikely to compete for one of the top two spots in the group. Primarily, the national team struggles to perform optimally in attack: 5 of their 10 goals in the current World Cup qualifiers were scored against San Marino. Furthermore, even on home soil, Romania does not impress with their goal-scoring ability: in their last 13 home matches in World Cup qualification, the team scored more than one goal in only four encounters, and in five instances during this period, they failed to break through the opponent’s defense at all.

Austria’s Defensive Solidity

In the current World Cup qualifiers, the Austrians have already recorded three clean sheets, and overall, the team is confident in defense. Even away from home, the team concedes few goals: in their last 11 away matches in World Cup qualification, Austria allowed opponents to score more than one goal in only three encounters. Moreover, during this period, the national team managed to keep a clean sheet in four matches.

Final Bet Recommendation

I don’t expect the hosts to show an effective attacking game, so my prediction is: “Romania Under 1 Goal” with odds of 1.68

Prediction Author

Author: Dmitry Shchurko