Euro 2022 Tips: Austria could cause upset in Group A

Austria v Norway
Amex Stadium, 20:00
Live on BBC One

Austria the stronger side heading into crunch clash

Norway need to recover and they need to recover quickly from their demoralising defeat to England on Monday night. They may still be favourites to finish runners up in Group A but at 13/5, my money is on Austria to get the better of the side beaten 8-0 in their second match of the tournament.

The performance and capitulation of their defence was worrying as too was manager Martin Sjogren's inability to change things until it was too late.

Void of ideas and looking to a perplexed bench for the answers, Norway were stumped and not one single player stood up to be counted for, they wilted.

Of course they're not out of the race yet. It is all to play for in their match against Austria and that's the reason Ada Hegerberg and Graham Hansen were taken off with 15 minutes to go on Monday night, in truth, it's a decision that could have been made 20 minutes sooner. Offering very little, unable to influence proceedings such was England's dominance, the Norwegian duo are going to be crucial if they are to unlock that stubborn and resilient Austrian defence but they'll certainly need to be better too.

Austria have shown throughout this tournament that they are incredibly well organised and tough to break down. I expect their robust defending to frustrate Norway and given how the side crumbled when they went a goal down on Monday, if things don't go their way from the outset, I'm no longer sure whether they'll have the mental toughness to fight.

Expecting a Billa brilliance

It's not just in defence where Austria are handy. Against Northern Ireland in particular but also at times during their 1-0 defeat to England, they demonstrated that there's an intelligence to their forward play, they're full of ideas and confidence.

Nicole Billa didn't get herself on the scoresheet against Northern Ireland but she certainly tested Jacqueline Burns in the Northern Ireland goal and already has 43 international goals to her name. The 2021 Women's Footballer of the Year in Germany is 13/10 to either score or provide an assist in this one.

Northern Ireland v England
St Mary's Stadium, 20:00
Live on BBC One

England ruthless, Northern Ireland developing

England produced a history making, record breaking display against Norway on Monday night as they became the first team in a men's or women's European Championship to put eight goals past their opponents.

Nervy and tentative at times against Austria, they were ruthless, inventive, took risks and showed just how in tune this squad is.

There were a few question marks over whether Leah Williamson should move into midfield for the fixture in order to have Alex Greenwood partner Millie Bright at the back and offer that extra cover to help deal with Norway's threat. They didn't and it didn't matter because that threat was never there.

England were dominant, they were clinical from the outset and the quality of deliveries into the area from out wide was absolutely ridiculous.

For Northern Ireland, qualifying for their maiden major tournament was significant progress and it is important to remember the bigger picture when you look at their campaign.

This is about player development, about ensuring the future of women's football in Northern Ireland is even brighter than it is at present and also working toward having a group of players who view qualifying for a major tournament as something that should happen. They are taking steps in the right direction.

With that said, I don't envisage this being a pleasant evening for Kenny Shiels and his side regardless of the starting XI Sarina Wiegman opts for.

Mead is magic

There's a fluidity to England's play under Wiegman, where perhaps previously they've been rather rigid.

Beth Mead was my favourite to claim the Golden Boot this summer and she's certainly well positioned after another fine display and her fourth England hat-trick - her first at a major tournament. Her second and England's fifth was probably the pick of the night for me, the way she weaved in and out of defenders before calmly finishing was a thing of beauty.

It's worth checking the starting XI before properly looking at the individual player markets for this one but if Mead does feature from the outset, I'd back her at 4/1 to score two or more.

We have already stated that strength in depth could be crucial for England throughout this tournament as it can be relentless with very little recovery time. England have quality that they can rely on and call upon if they do want to make changes for Friday's final group game. If changes are made, I would expect Ella Toone to come in and at 10/11 would back her in the Anytime Assist market.

If you think there'll be goals in this one, over 4.5 goals is the most appealing in the over/under market at 29/20.