Spain continue their quest for a second
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With Germany and the Netherlands out of the way, Spain are now right up there as one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Rangnick can draw inspiration from Paraguayan and Moroccan upsets, though.
This is Austria’s first World Cup since 1998. That tournament, like this one, produced some high points, but 72 years have passed since Das Team last won a knockout game at the tournament.
Spain got a bloody nose in a goalless draw with Cape Verde in their first group match but they’re yet to concede a goal at this tournament. Six-goal Austria have found their shooting boots but this is a whole different test.
Neither team has yet played at Los Angeles Stadium, which is hosting its penultimate fixture of the World Cup today. Spain and Austria are two wins away from returning to Inglewood for a quarter-final.
Upsets have already defined this tournament and Austria will be galvanised by those that have gone before. In the death throes once already, can Rangnick’s side cast caution aside and gegenpress their way to victory?
De la Fuente will be banking on Lamine Yamal to crack the code. The Barcelona teen is fit to start, but fellow flying winger Nico Williams seems likely to miss the rest of the tournament with a recurrence of his groin problem. That means Alex Baena, who scored the only goal that knocked out Uruguay, should start.
FourFourTwo’s prediction
Spain 1-0 Austria
FourFourTwo predicts a similar match to the others in this round so far and that Spain will have the attacking quality to nick it.
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