Spain vs Austria: World Cup Round of 32 – Preview, predictions, team news

Five wins to go. How tin your squad scope the last and triumph World Cup 2026? Click here to find out.

Who: Spain vs Austria
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – circular of 32
Where: Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, US
When: Thursday, July 2, astatine noon (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We volition person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT earlier our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

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After arriving astatine the World Cup arsenic 1 of the favourites, Spain person made a comparatively low-key commencement to the tournament.

A daze 0-0 gully with Cape Verde was followed by a 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia earlier an attritional triumph implicit Uruguay.

But Spain manager Luis de la Fuente maintains his squad are connected an upward curve and are precisely wherever they privation to be, arsenic they scope the concern extremity of the tournament.

“This squad is utilized to breaking records and overcoming unsmooth patches; we are determined to support moving forward,” de la Fuente said connected Wednesday.

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria are making their archetypal World Cup knockout quality since 1954 aft finishing runners-up successful Group J.

Austria scored six goals ⁠in 3 group-stage matches, 1 much than Spain, but Rangnick acknowledges his broadside volition request to rise their level against a squad unbeaten successful 34 matches stretching backmost to March 2023.

“We each cognize ⁠that we request to bash adjacent amended tomorrow. Against Spain this is obvious,” Rangnick said. “We person to marque 1 ⁠further step.”

The victor volition look either Portugal oregon Croatia successful the past 16.

La Roja acceptable to rise the barroom against Austria

De la Fuente told reporters to expect to spot improvements successful his team’s show aft their sluggish World Cup start.

“What I americium seeing this week ‌is that the squad is opening to recognise” things to fix, the manager said.

De la Fuente dismissed ⁠concerns astir the tremendous expectations weighing connected his squad from Spanish supporters, contempt the team’s aboriginal World ⁠Cup exits pursuing their 2010 triumph.

“I emotion ⁠that it is demanded of us, due to the fact that a batch is expected of america and what we person to bash is respond to that expectation,” de la Fuente said.

Rangnick says stopping Lamine Yamal key

Rangnick said shot fans astir the satellite emotion ⁠watching Lamine Yamal ⁠play, but stopping the Spain winger from showcasing his endowment volition beryllium 1 of his side’s apical priorities successful the World Cup circular ⁠of 32 connected Thursday.

Spain person eased the 18-year-old backmost into enactment aft helium tore a hamstring successful April, limiting him to 141 minutes implicit the ⁠three radical games, during which helium scored erstwhile – but present accidental helium is acceptable to play arsenic overmuch arsenic required.

“Lamine Yamal is an fantabulous player, and helium volition beryllium for the adjacent 12, 13 oregon 14 years, possibly adjacent longer,” Rangnick told reporters connected Wednesday.

“If helium stays steadfast and keeps a consecutive caput connected ‌his shoulders, helium tin play a batch of matches.

“He is 1 of the players we volition ticker precise intimately tomorrow, not to springiness him a batch of country oregon excessively galore opportunities to commencement his dribbling actions.

“He is simply a subordinate that each shot fans, nary substance wherever they are from, emotion to watch. But it is our task time to fto him person ⁠the shot arsenic small arsenic possible.”

Yamal celebrates aft scoring his side’s opening extremity against Saudi Arabia [Erik S Lesser/AP]

How did Spain and Austria scope the circular of 32?

Spain were the winners of Group H with 7 points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 0-0 draw with Cape Verde
• 4-0 win implicit Saudi Arabia
• 1-0 win implicit Uruguay

Austria were runners-up of Group J with 4 points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 3-1 win implicit Jordan
• 2-0 defeat to Argentina
• 3-3 draw with Algeria

Spain vs Austria prediction

Opta’s supercomputer has calculated a 70.6 percent probability of Spain winning this fixture successful regularisation time, portion Austria is assessed a 12.2 percent accidental of victory.

The probability of going to other clip is 17.3 percent.

Spain vs Austria: Kickoff time, TV channel

• Spain: DAZN Mundial (9pm, Central European Summer Time)
• Austria: ServusTV, ServusTV On (9pm, Central European Summer Time)
• United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (8pm, British Summer Time)
• USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (3pm, Eastern Daylight Time)

To cheque the TV listings for your country, caput to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

Austria fans astatine the 2026 World Cup [Juan Mabromata/AFP]

Who volition the victor look successful the circular of 16?

The victor of the Spain vs Austria lucifer volition look either Portugal oregon Croatia successful the past 16.

Spain vs Austria: head-to-head

Spain are unbeaten successful their past 5 matches against Austria (W4 D1), winning each of the past 2 by four-goal margins.

Their astir caller gathering dates backmost to 2009, erstwhile Spain thrashed Austria 5-1, with a young David Alaba making a beardown content successful a 25-minute cameo disconnected the bench.

Spain, however, volition beryllium wary of their Austrian opponents, having mislaid their past World Cup gathering 2-1 successful 1978.

Spain vs Austria: Team news

Yeremi Pino (collarbone) and Nico Williams (hamstring) are retired injured for Spain, portion Victor Munoz (muscle) is doubtful.

No injuries oregon suspensions successful the Austria camp.

Spain’s predicted lineup

(4-3-3): Simon (goalkeeper); Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena

Austria’s predicted lineup

(4-2-3-1): Schlager (goalkeeper); Posch, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene; Seiwald, Schlager; Laimer, Sabitzer, Schmid; Arnautovic

Austria’s forward, Marko Arnautovic, is their starring scorer successful the tourney with 2 goals [Juan Mabromata/AFP]