Austria vs Jordan Prediction: Lights too bright for tournament debutants

Austria and Jordan get their respective World Cup campaigns underway on Wednesday morning (9pm local, 5am Weds GMT, live on BBC One) when the pair meet in San Francisco.

This tournament marks Austria's first appearance on this stage since 1998, while this is Jordan's first-ever World Cup appearance. Read on for my Austria vs Jordan predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Christoph Baumgartner's injury ahead of the tournament dealt a huge blow to Austria, and Patrick Wimmer, Florian Grillitsch and David Alaba are all doubts to start Wednesday's opener.

As for Jordan, Yazan Al Naimat is expected to miss out here due to an injury that has kept him sidelined since December, which will be a significant absence as he scored eight goals in qualifying.

In addition, Ibrahim Sabra withdrew from the squad prior to the tournament after sustaining an ankle ligament rupture, and was replaced by Mohammad Taha.

Austria vs Jordan Odds

Austria are 1/3 to win their opening encounter, giving them an implied probability of 75%, the draw is 4/1 and the World Cup debutants are 17/2 to get off to a dream start.

Marko Arnautovic currently leads the anytime goalscorer market at 10/11, while both teams to score - yes is 11/10, and Austria are EVENS to win to nil.

Austria to win to nil @ 1/1

Austria breezed through their qualifying campaign to make their first World Cup since 1998, and I don't envision them have any problems against Jordan on Wednesday, who are at their maiden tournament.

For all his issues at Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick has developed Austria into a pressing machine, leading them to the knockout stages of Euro 2024, and his side conceded just four goals during qualifying.

Since then, Austria have enjoyed friendly victories over Ghana, South Korea and Tunisia, and their high-pressing style, which may be difficult to maintain throughout the tournament due to the heat, could overwhelm Jordan here.

*Click here for the latest World Cup Odds

Marcel Sabitzer to score and assist @ 5/1

Marcel Sabitzer has become a key cog in this Austria side, scoring three goals and recording the same amount of assists during qualifying. The 32-year-old chipped in with a further three strikes and two assists during Austria's warm-up friendlies.

The Borussia Dortmund man is key to Das Team's attacking intentions, and I'm backing him to be involved in the thick of the action on Wednesday.