Football Bet of the Day: Das Team can battle past Tunisia

Austria and Tunisia step up their World Cup preparations with a friendly at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion on Monday. Das Team could well be lively outsiders for the US, Mexico and Canada extravaganza with Ralf Rangnick's men priced at 150/1 on the outright market.

Tunisia, 500/1 shots for World Cup glory, qualified in style and the Eagles of Carthage will be aiming to spring a surprise in the summer showdown. They are expected to defend deep in Vienna, where goals could be at a premium.

Austria are fancied to beat Tunisia in Vienna, but taking a victory for Das Team and under 2.5 goals looks the best play of the day.

Ralf Rangnick has built a well-drilled and structured side, who have lost only one of their last 10 matches.

Austria topped a group containing France, the Netherlands and Poland at Euro 2024 two years ago and it was only a mighty unfortunate last-16 defeat to Turkey which stopped them making further progress in that competition.

Das Team's high-tempo and coherent style has seen them concede only five goals in their last 10 matches and it is arguably only the absence of a top-level striker that prevents Austria from being a major force on the international stage.

Rangnick is expected to call on 37-year-old record goalscorer Marko Arnautovic to lead the line against Tunisia, and while the hosts are likely to dominate the Vienna contest, a 1-0 or 2-0 victory appears the most likely scoreline.

Austria vs Tunisia Odds

Tunisia are a defensively sound side, who did not concede a single goal in their group-stage qualifying games. However, their opposition, consisting of Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe, is a long way below the standard of Austria.

The Eagles of Carthage were beaten by Mali in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, and they scored just one goal in three group-stage matches at the 2022 World Cup.

Sabri Lamouchi is now at the helm, and there is a more youthful squad ahead of this summer's showdown, but it is still a defence-first approach from Tunisia.

The Eagles of Carthage have hit only three goals in their last four matches and they registered just four shots and two efforts on target in their last fixture, a 0-0 April draw with Canada.

Firas Chaouat, who has scored only four times in his last 23 appearances for Tunisia and plays his football for Club Africain in his homeland, is set to front the visitors' attack against Austria and the 30-year-old should be handled by an assured home defence.

Austria are likely to control the tempo and boss the ball on home turf, and while that may not translate into three or four goals for Das Team, Rangnick's men are fancied to win a low-scoring contest in Vienna.

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