Romania vs Austria: Match Preview and Prediction

October 12, 2025 21:45. Bucharest
2026 World Cup Qualifiers

Romania - Austria: Bookmakers' Odds

Romania

For the matches against Moldova and Austria, Mircea Lucescu called up at least 14 players from the national championship, most of them from the champion team FCSB (5). They were also joined by Adrian Shut, who was added to the squad after Rezvan Marin was injured. Mircea Lucescu was deeply disappointed with the level of physical fitness of the players from the national championship. He makes it clear that there is a significant difference between the players he called up from the Super League and those playing abroad.

"It annoys me that the players in our championship are not sufficiently trained. The level is very low. I'm not just talking about those who play abroad, but also about those who play in the domestic league. I'm thinking about Corvinul, Dynamo, Steaua, Craiova, their level. I want us to return to this level," Lucescu said.

When asked why he didn't call up anyone from Botosani, the leaders of the Super League, Lucescu replied indignantly: "Why is Austria calling up Alaba? The national team is built primarily on experience and values, and only then on the current form. You kick him out of the squad, and he's afraid to take a step. Enough, leave me alone! This proves to me that you're all coaches!"

"The Austrian national team is a very strong team" it was built for years; in 6-7 years, nothing changes there, it's hard to leave the game right away, the average age of the players is 27-28 years. This is the difference with us. We had to constantly rebuild the team from match to match, changing it due to injuries. Injuries happened because they don't play much. It's hard for them because they have to run 11 km per match. We had a lot of injuries that recurred periodically, which made them lose their form. You have to be careful with such a team.

We know that they can't change their game, and we have to anticipate them. If they put 8 players in attack, then 2 remain in defense. We need to know how to play.

They use long passes. They pull the wide forwards into the center, and the defenders go to the front line. That's where they make passes. They play well in second passes, that's their main strength. They recover well, they don't let the opponent with the ball go. They develop counterattacks well because they are physically... strong," Lucescu noted.

Lucescu announced that Rezvan Marin will not be able to play against Austria. That's why he called up Adrian Shut.

"The situation is that Rezvan has no choice but to not play. He hasn't trained all week," Lucescu said.

An interesting situation arose with Marin. On October 11, the midfielder trained normally with his teammates. Rezvan has always trained since joining the team, except on Fridays after the match against Moldova. He told the doctor that he felt a slight problem, but really wanted to play against Austria.

On Friday, the decision was made to have the AEK player undergo an MRI. That same day, Adrian Shut was called up as a substitute in case Rezvan Marin's scan results did not allow him to play.

At the time of the press conference, Lucescu was unaware of the MRI results, which came later and turned out to be very good, proving that Rezvan Marin is healthy and ready to play against Austria.

Sources close to the national team claim that Mircea Lucescu really dislikes moments when a player tells him about a minor physical problem that bothers him. The coach sees it as an attempt to find an excuse in case the player does not play well on the field.

This is exactly what happened at half-time of a friendly match against Canada, when he wanted to bring on Ștefan Bajram. The Universitatea Craiova player told him that he was feeling muscle strain, and Lucescu immediately decided not to substitute him. "Mr. Mircea doesn't like it. Either you want to play and say nothing, or you really don't want to play and say something is wrong." Austria A few days ago, Austria crushed San Marino 10-0, the biggest win in their history. Star striker Marko Arnautovic also set a team record for goals scored with a hat-trick. He now has 45 goals, surpassing Toni Polster's record. The win over San Marino brought the expected three points, and the fact that it was so big helps with goal difference, which initially determines the standings in the event of a draw. However, the Austrians play Romania on Sunday. It will be a tough task, as their opponents, currently third in Group H, are fighting for second place and therefore a place in the play-offs. "There will be a lot of spectators in the stadium. But we have to play like at home. That will not happen automatically in this atmosphere against a strong opponent. Everything will depend on how well we combine playing without the ball - immediately counter-attacking when we lose it - and creating chances and space when we have the ball," said Ralf Rangnick. However, the Austrian coach did not want to exaggerate the crisis in the Romanian camp, where 80-year-old legendary coach Mircea Lucescu has even hinted at his retirement. "There is no point in dwelling on this. We have to show our best side, we have to do our job. "It is obvious to everyone that this game will be different from the game against San Marino," the 67-year-old specialist emphasized.

Romania - Austria: Predicted lineups

Romania: Radu; Ratiu, Popescu, Burke, Opruts; R. Marin, M. Marin, Skrecu; Mann, Dragus, Dobrescu

Austria: Penz; Posh, Danso, Alaba, Prass; Laimer, Seiwald; Schmid, Gregoric, Sabitzer; Arnautovic

Romania - Austria: Author's forecast

Mircea Lucescu is under enormous pressure - there are discussions in Romania about the need to fire him, and the former Shakhtar and Dynamo coach has few defenders left. Prediction - Austria wins, having already beaten Romania at home in this qualifying season.