Austria vs. Germany Prediction on February 19, 2026

Match info

This is the new Olympic team format in Nordic combined: a two-athlete (two-man) team sprint rather than the old four-man relay, which instantly increases volatility. With only two legs to cover, there’s nowhere to “hide” a weaker segment, and the cross-country portion (2x7.5km cross-country race), following ski jumping (large hill ski jump), is where medals are truly won or lost because it turns jump-derived gaps into real, tactical racing.

If you’re tracking markets and swings between the jump and the ski leg, Milano Cortina 2026 betting odds sorted by Bookmaker Expert are worth checking here: https://bookmaker-expert.com/bookmakers/sports-betting/olympic/.

When:
Thursday, 19 February 2026 — Cross-country segment: 14:00–14:55 local time (Central European Time, CET).

Where:
Lago di Tésero Cross Country Stadium (Stadio del fondo di Lago di Tesero), Lago, Italy.

Meeting statistics

Current form and & playstyle: Austria
Austria appears to be the most complete “gold profile,” anchored by Johannes Lamparter. His biggest advantage in this format is that he rarely has a true weak link: he’s strong enough on the hill to keep Austria in front range, then on skis he’s a tempo setter—smooth pacing, minimal wasted movement, and a knack for squeezing time in the “in-between” parts of the course where others lose rhythm.
In a team sprint, that matters because the race is about managing constant speed: push, recover, push again, without collapsing.

Current form & playstyle: Germany
Germany is the most credible challenger, and its case centers on Julian Schmid as the engine.
Schmid tends to ski like a metronome: controlled accelerations rather than boom-or-bust attacks. That style is perfect for a relay-style team sprint because it prevents a single bad minute from ballooning into a medal-killing gap. Germany also tends to execute transitions and mid-leg pacing cleanly—often the difference between “hanging on” and “actually closing” when the front team tries to control the race.

Dark horse: Norway (Jens Lurås Oftebro effect).
Norway becomes dangerous when the post-jump deficit is manageable because it’s one of the teams most willing to turn the ski leg into a pressure cooker. If they start close enough, they can force Austria and Germany to respond repeatedly—making the cross-country leg less about protecting gaps and more about surviving surges.

Head-to-head
Austria vs. Germany is essentially a balance vs. efficiency. Austria’s path to gold is to create (or protect) a cushion and then keep the ski leg controlled. Germany’s strategy is to maintain contact, avoid any “dead” laps, and time a late move when Austria’s pace becomes protective. Norway sits in the disruptor lane: if they’re within striking distance early in the ski leg, they’re the team most likely to turn a tidy race into a messy one.

Match analytics

Austria is the most likely winner if Lamparter’s team exits the jump portion either leading or within a small chase group. Germany is the safest “podium profile” because their skiing is built for consistency under relay pressure. Norway is the most credible spoiler if conditions or tactics produce a tight start to the cross-country leg.

Tip: Winner: Austria at 2.25 odds on Vegasino.