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Austria vs. Germany: 2019 U21 EURO Live Stream, Schedule and Prediction
June 22, 2019
Germany will be seeking to round off an impressive group-stage performance at the UEFA Under-21 European Championship on Sunday when they take on Austria.
It's been plain sailing for the German youngsters, as they backed up a 3-1 win against Denmark in their first match with a 6-1 hammering of Serbia last time out. It means they have effectively qualified for the semi-finals, but a draw or a win on Sunday will secure their spot.
Austria are unlikely to be a walkover, though, as they are fighting to be the best of the second-placed teams. They already have a win over Serbia under their belt and need three points on Sunday to have any realistic chance of progression.
It's set to be an intriguing encounter at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy. Here are the viewing details for the match and a preview of what's to come.
Date: Sunday, June 23
Time: 8 p.m. (BST), 3 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: Sky Sports Football (UK), ESPNU (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S.)
Preview
Serbia were expected to provide Germany with a significant test when the two sides met on Thursday, with new Real Madrid centre-forward Luka Jovic leading the line.
In the end, it was a routine win for Stefan Kuntz's team, who were dominant throughout the contest. Jovic was overshadowed by another young forward, as Luca Waldschmidt was on the scoresheet three times in the 6-1 win.
The Freiburg sharpshooter was far too good for the Serbian defence to contain, with his movement in the penalty area razor sharp.
The competition Twitter account shared the pick of his goals, which saw Waldschmidt sashaying past a challenge and finishing calmly:
Overall, Germany's display against Serbia was one bristling with attacking verve. Aside from their goalscoring forward, Mahmoud Dahoud was excellent at the hub of the midfield, while Marco Richter provided problems for his marker with his direct running.
Kuntz's side have looked like the standout outfit in the early stages of the tournament in Italy.
German football journalist Alex Chaffer commented on the team's swagger:
Commentator Rob Palmer also had high praise for Germany's style of football:
As a result, it's difficult to see how Austria will stop them. They were poor in defence in their previous game, with Denmark able to find space with ease as they romped to a 3-1 win.
While Austria will no doubt need to tighten up, they also must do more in the final third, as they dallied far too frequently against the Danes.
For head coach Werner Gregoritsch, the injury suffered to Hannes Wolf in the match with Serbia was a huge blow because the Red Bull Salzburg man is capable of providing a spark.
It's hard to see a way to three points for Austria in this encounter, aside from some complacency maybe creeping in for Germany with qualification all but secured. Even if they rest a number of key men with the knockout stages in mind, Kuntz's side will do enough to continue their perfect record at the tournament.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Austria