Lithuania has 50/50 chance to beat Austria: coach

Lithuania's national coach Jose Couceiro believes his men have a 50/50 chance to beat rivals Austria in Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match.

“Austria has a strong and dangerous team. It won against France, it scored five goals in two matches. Wednesday's match won't be easy for the Lithuanians. Our chance to win is 50/50,” Couceiro told AFP.

The coach from Portugal warned Lithuania players not to sit on their laurels after their unexpected recent 3-0 walkover in Romania.

The win was Lithuania's first victory after an eight-game losing streak.

“Lithuanian football isn't very professional yet. The team has many problems because of yellow cards, injuries and other things,” Couceiro said.

Wednesday's match with Austria will be Couceiro's second official match as coach for Lithuania's national team after his appointment to the post in August.

The Group Seven front-runners Lithuania and Austria will face-off at the newly-built stadium in Marijampole, southwestern Lithuania.