Republic of Ireland vs Austria

Republic of Ireland face Austria in UEFA Nations League B on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, with the visitors sitting top of Group 3 after consecutive victories.

Austria score six in two Group 3 wins

Austria lead Group 3 with maximum points from their opening two fixtures. They started the campaign with a 3-1 home victory over Israel on 24 September, followed by another 3-1 home win against Kosovo on 27 September. Those results pushed them to six points and a goal difference of +4, having scored six times and conceded twice.

Romano Schmid enters the fixture as Austria's top scorer this season across all competitions with two goals. Over their last five matches with chance data recorded, Austria have created 1.37 expected goals per game while allowing 1.74. Their squad traveling to Dublin also includes defender Kevin Danso.

Republic of Ireland rebound after Kosovo defeat

Republic of Ireland sit third in Group 3 with three points from their first two matches. Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson's side opened their schedule with a 1-0 defeat away to Kosovo on 24 September before securing a 3-0 win away against Israel on 27 September.

That three-goal victory moved Ireland's goal difference to +2, leaving them three points behind Austria. Midfielder Jason Knight and his teammates head into their third group fixture without any confirmed player absences on the roster.

Our model leans narrowly towards an Austria win

Our forecasting model leans narrowly towards an Austria win. Austria hold the group lead thanks to two 3-1 victories and Romano Schmid's finishing, but their defensive underlying figures show 1.74 expected goals conceded per game over their last five matches with available chance data. Republic of Ireland demonstrated their defensive solidity by keeping a clean sheet in their 3-0 win against Israel.