Fighting for the right to meet Portugal or Croatia in a blockbuster last-16 tie, Spain and Austria lock horns in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup at the SoFi Stadium on Thursday evening.
The reigning European champions topped Group H to earn a date with Das Team, who claimed a respectable second place in Group J behind current Mundial masters Argentina.
Backed to comfortably progress as Group H winners, Spain followed the status quo after a disappointing opening draw with Cape Verde, taking seven points from nine on offer while conceding a grand total of zero goals.
Assuring themselves of a knockout place at the expense of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, La Roja edged out their South American counterparts 1-0 on the final matchday.
Not only have Spain posted a 100% clean sheet record in North America so far, the European champions are yet to face a first-half shot on target, while they have not conceded more than six shots in any of their last five World Cup matches.
La Roja’s extraordinary unbeaten run now stands at 34 matches in all competitions – excluding penalty-shootout losses – just one shy of their national team record of 35 set between 2007 and 2009 and also within touching distance of the all-time best ever.
Italy’s triumphant Euro 2020 team holds the current record for the longest unbeaten run in men’s international football – an unparalleled 37 games – but La Roja are heavy favourites to close the gap further on Thursday night.
Spain’s rearguard resilience has come to the fore at an ideal time, as De la Fuente has been hamstrung by attacking injuries to Yeremy Pino (shoulder), Nico Williams (adductor) and Victor Munoz (thigh), all of whom are at risk of missing the last-32 match.
Liverpool-bound Munoz seemingly has the best chance of being available, but Baena should not cede his spot on the left-hand side after coming up with the decisive moment against Uruguay – his first goal for the national team since October 2024.
De la Fuente’s only selection dilemma comes in the middle of the park, where Mikel Merino was given the nod against Uruguay, but Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Gavi are all competing to displace the Arsenal man.
On the Austrian end, veterans Marko Arnautovic and David Alaba were a little worse for wear following the six-goal thriller with Algeria, but neither man is thought to be suffering from anything more serious than minor knee discomfort.
While Spain have been unyielding defensively at the World Cup so far, the Mundial pressure seems to get the better of Austria, who have failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 straight matches at the competition.
Therefore, even with their injury concerns in attack, La Roja should capitalise on Rangnick’s rearguard frailties and progress to the last 16 without too much trouble.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
