Preview: Austria Women vs. Norway Women - prediction, team news, lineups

Although they are level on points with their opponents, Norway need a victory to finish in the top two of Group A, while Austria require just one point.

Match preview

Austria bounced back from a 1-0 defeat against England in their opening game to beat Northern Ireland 2-0 on matchday two.

Katharina Schiechtl opened the scoring in the first half for her side before Katharina Naschenweng wrapped up the three points with an 88th-minute strike.

The win leaves them in second place after two group games, although they will enter Friday's contest level with their opponents on three points.

While the first tie-breaker is based on the head-to-head result, Austria would advance to the quarter-finals stages by virtue of a better goal difference if they can take a point from their final group match.

Although a draw would be enough for a top-two place, after winning eight of their last 10 matches, Austria will be confident that they can collect all three points on Friday.

Meanwhile, Norway will need to pick themselves up after suffering the biggest defeat in UEFA Women's European Championship history on Sunday.

Norway would have been in a confident mood ahead of Sunday's encounter with England after beating Northern Ireland 4-1 in their opening match.

However, their confidence was shattered by half time as England racked up a six-goal lead before adding a further two goals to their tally in the second half, condemning Norway to a humiliating 8-0 defeat.

Despite suffering such a heavy defeat, Norway will need to put the result behind them as they look to clinch a victory that would book their place in the quarter-finals.

Ahead of the must-win game, Norway can draw inspiration from the fact that before the defeat to England, they enjoyed a six-game winning run.

Austria Women Women's European Championship form:

Austria Women form (all competitions):

Norway Women Women's European Championship form:

Norway Women form (all competitions):

Team News

Schiechtl came into to the side to slot in at right-back against Northern Ireland and after contributing with a goal, the 29-year-old will retain her place in the starting lineup.

Laura Feiersinger could return to the starting XI on Friday, which could result in Marie Hobinger dropping to the bench.

There may also be a place in the lineup for Naschenweng, who came off the bench to score the second goal in Austria's 2-0 win on Sunday.

As for Norway, Frida Maanum is expected to return to the side, with the Arsenal midfielder set to replace Vilde Boe Risa in midfield.

Anja Sonstevold and Amalie Eikeland could also come back into the starting lineup after the pair dropped down to the bench for Sunday's encounter with England.

After failing to score in Norway's opening two games, Ada Hegerberg will be desperate to find the net on Friday when she leads the line for her country.

Austria Women possible starting lineup:

Zinsberger; Schiechtl, Wenninger, Schnaderbeck, Hanshaw; Dunst, Zadrazil, Puntigam, Feiersinger, Naschenweng; Billa

Norway Women possible starting lineup:

Pettersen; Sonstevold, Mjelde, Thorisdottir, Blakstad; Maanum, Engen; Eikeland, C. Hansen, Reiten; Hegerberg

We say: Austria Women 1-3 Norway Women

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