Spain vs Austria: The Unbeaten Meet the Underdogs

Spain arrives in LA with a perfect record and one question mark in midfield. Austria scraped through on goal difference and just lost their starting left-back. Winner faces Portugal or Croatia in Dallas on July 6.

Match Essentials

• Kickoff4pm ET
• VenueLos Angeles Stadium
• Spain Group Stage3-0-0
• Austria Group Stage1-1-1
• Watch LiveGlobo, sportv, SBT
• RefereeGlenn Nyberg (Sweden)

Spain: Invincible But Not Unscathed

Luis de la Fuente's side topped Group H without conceding a goal — a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, a 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, and a 1-0 edge over Uruguay. That's the good news. The bad: Nico Williams limped off against Uruguay with an adductor injury and is unlikely to be ready. Vitor Muñoz hasn't played a minute due to muscle trouble. Yéremy Pino dislocated his left shoulder and is out.

The real intrigue is midfield. Fabián Ruiz, Dani Olmo, and Mikel Merino have each started once. Olmo appears to have the edge — he gives Spain more bite going forward, which they'll need if Austria sits deep. Lamine Yamal on the right, Alex Baena on the left, and Oyarzabal up top round out an attack that's looked sharper as the tournament has progressed.

Austria: Survivors, Not Qualifiers

Ralph Rangnick's team finished second in Group J, but only just. They beat Jordan 3-1, lost to Argentina 2-0, then drew 3-3 with Algeria in a match they nearly threw away. Austria advanced ahead of Algeria purely on goal difference: 0 to -2. Not exactly a statement.

Now they face Spain without Phillipp Mwene, who strained his right quad and won't recover in time. Konrad Laimer will shift to left-back, with Paul Wanner slotting into midfield — the same setup that faced Argentina. Marko Arnautovic starts up top, but Sasa Kalajdzic is pushing hard after rescuing a point against Algeria with a stoppage-time goal. Rangnick may give him minutes if Austria needs a spark.

Probable Lineups

Spain (4-2-3-1)

Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal. Out: Vitor Muñoz, Yéremy Pino, Nico Williams.

Austria (4-2-3-1)

Schlager; Posch, Lienhart, Alaba, Laimer; Seiwald, Xaver Schlager; Schmid, Wanner, Sabitzer; Arnautovic. Out: Phillipp Mwene.

What to Watch

Spain's midfield pivot is the story. Olmo's creativity against Austria's compact shape could decide this. If Rangnick plays the same low block that frustrated Argentina for stretches, Spain will need someone willing to take risks between the lines. That's Olmo.

Austria's best chance is transition. They're dangerous when Sabitzer and Wanner can break quickly, and Spain's fullbacks — Llorente and Cucurella — do push high. David Alaba will need to be perfect; one lapse and Yamal or Baena will punish it. The winner moves on to face Portugal or Croatia in Dallas on July 6. Lose, and the World Cup is over.

FAQ

Globo, ge tv, sportv, Nsports, SBT, and Caze TV all carry the match live. You can also follow live updates and exclusive clips on ge.globo's real-time match page.

The winner advances to the Round of 16 and will face either Portugal or Croatia at Dallas Stadium on July 6.

Unlikely. Williams left the Uruguay match with a right adductor injury and has only a remote chance of being fit in time.

Austria and Algeria both finished with 4 points, but Austria had a 0 goal difference compared to Algeria's -2, so they advanced on that tiebreaker.