The last time these nations met at a World Cup, on 21 June 1982, Austria won 2–0 in one of the most infamous groups in the tournament's history — the one where Algeria went out on goal difference after West Germany and Austria played out a result that suited them both in Gijón. Forty-four years on, this is only the second time the two have ever met. A place in the knockout rounds is on the line again, and this time both arrive with second place in the group squarely in their sights.
The market
The run-in tells two very different stories. Algeria came into the tournament off a strong, disciplined warm-up — a 1–0 win away in the Netherlands, 4–0 against Bolivia, four clean sheets in five — then fell flat on opening day and lost 3–0 to Argentina. What drew the most attention was the team sheet: Vladimir Petković left both Riyad Mahrez and Mohamed Amoura, his two best attackers, on the bench. A defeat like that brings scrutiny, and the question of whether both come back into the starting eleven hangs over the side.
Austria, by contrast, took three points off Jordan, 3–1, but the performance didn't match the scoreline. Romano Schmid put them in front with a strike from outside the box, but it took a late own goal and a stoppage-time penalty from Marko Arnautović to seal it. The result flattered them that day.
The shape of the group will be largely decided by the second round of fixtures, but everything points to both sides fighting for second behind Argentina. Algeria carry the heavier burden after that opening loss — and for a team that probably needs a win, the call on Mahrez and Amoura is no small matter.
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The match turns on how Algeria handle Austria's high defensive line. Ralf Rangnick has his side press high and in numbers, with Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager as a double pivot that lets the front players push up without leaving the back exposed. That suits Austria against a team that wants to build and break quickly — because when Algeria are forced to chase the game, Austria's fast transitions and set pieces become genuinely dangerous, with Marcel Sabitzer on the deliveries and Arnautović and David Alaba in the box.
But there are two sides to it. A high line leaves space in behind, and that's where Algeria's strongest weapon lies: the pace of Amoura and Anis Hadj Moussa running into the gaps. So one question stands above the rest: does Petković restore Mahrez and Amoura to punish that space — and can Algeria settle on the ball long enough to use it? If they can't, and spend the whole night chasing, Austria win this one.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
21 Jun 1982 — World Cup — Oviedo — Austria 2–0 Algeria
THE PICK
Austria are sharper at set pieces and carry a little more quality in the final third, and Algeria still haven't shown that their front line clicks when it matters most — five games in a row without both teams scoring says plenty about how closed this could be. So the pick leans toward a narrow away win in a low-scoring game.
The risk comes in two forms. First, everything depends on the picture after matchday 2: if Algeria find themselves in a must-win, the game opens up, and that's exactly when Amoura and Hadj Moussa get into the space behind the Austrian line that they thrive on. Second — if one side has already qualified — rotation could make the whole thing unpredictable. And if Algeria nick an early goal and get to sit on a lead, the under will straighten itself out in a hurry.
There's no Icelandic player involved, but RÚV is showing all 104 matches of the tournament live, this one included. For viewers in Iceland that means a late one: kickoff is 02:00 Iceland time, and anyone still up gets the Group J finale alongside Argentina against Jordan, played at the same hour.