Spain is ready to face off against Austria in a "do-or-die" match, with the winner securing a spot in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
The clear favorite is undoubtedly the European champions, Spain, but Austria, under the guidance of Daniel Radcliffe, has also proven that it can cause serious trouble for any opponent.
Spain got off to a rocky start in the tournament, as they drew with Cape Verde in their World Cup opener, in a shocking 0-0 draw. Of course, they then found their form and routed Saudi Arabia 4-0, while also defeating Uruguay by a narrow 1-0 margin.
Of course, the major problem for De La Fuente is that he won’t have Nico Williams and Jeremy Pino at his disposal, as they’re dealing with injuries.
On the other side, Austria seems determined to take it one step further, and to do so, they’ll need to pull off a major upset by eliminating Spain.
Austria got off to a strong start in the World Cup with a convincing 3-1 victory over Jordan, but then stumbled against Messi’s team, suffering a 2-0 defeat. They secured second place in the group with a thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria.
Possible starting lineups:
Spain: Simón, Yored, Koumbarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Pedri, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oriathabal
Austria: Schlager, Muenne, Alaba, Linhart, Pos, Schlager, Zaivald, Sabitzer, Schmidt, Laimer, Arnautović
*photo source: AP
