Austria vs Israel

Austria host Israel in their UEFA Nations League League B opener on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at Raiffeisen Arena (Linz) in Linz. The home side return to competitive action after concluding their summer tournament campaign with a 3-0 defeat against Spain on 2 July 2026.

Austria allowed nearly two expected goals per game

Over their last four matches with available chance metrics, Austria created 0.98 expected goals per game while allowing 1.91. That run closed out their World Cup campaign, where they recorded one victory from four fixtures: a 3-1 win over Jordan on 17 June 2026. Following that initial win, Austria suffered a 2-0 defeat against Argentina on 22 June 2026, drew 3-3 with Algeria on 28 June 2026, and exited the competition after their three-goal loss to Spain. Marko Arnautović was the team's primary contributor on the scoresheet during that tournament phase, scoring two goals across all competitions.

Squad adjustments ahead of Group B3 kickoff

The home team begin this Nations League phase with a changed group compared to the summer. Experienced international figures such as Marko Arnautović, David Alaba, and Marcel Sabitzer are absent from the selection for this window, making space for new senior inclusions such as Christian Zawieschitzky. Israel enter the fixture in Linz to begin their League B Group 3 schedule, which also includes upcoming fixtures against Kosovo and the Republic of Ireland.

Our model firmly expects an Austria win

Our model firmly expects an Austria win in this opening group fixture. Although Austria conceded heavily across their summer tournament schedule and averaged fewer than one expected goal created per match, their home fixture in Linz provides an immediate opportunity against an away side with no recent competitive record logged in this sequence. The difference in overall pedigree and competitive continuity underpins the home selection.