Spain vs Austria – Match preview and team news

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The Football Faithful

·2 Juli 2026

Spain vs Austria – Match preview and team news

Spain and Austria meet in their Round of 32 fixture on Thursday at the Los Angeles Stadium.

Spain are yet to concede a single goal at the World Cup and remains only one of two teams who kept a clean sheet in all of their matches till now, the other team being Mexico.

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Spain vs Austria – Match preview and team news

Date: Thursday, 2nd July.
Kick-off: 8pm BST.
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, USA.

Spain team news

Spain faces critical squad selection decisions ahead of their high-stakes World Cup Round of 32 knockout clash, primarily due to a double injury blow sustained in their brutal group-stage finale against Uruguay.

The La Roja camp confirmed that star winger Nico Williams is completely ruled out for this fixture due to a severe groin injury.

In a secondary blow to their attacking depth, forward Yeremy Pino is also sidelined after sustaining a painful shoulder injury, suspected to be a fractured collarbone.

These absences force a reshuffle upfront, with Alex Baena expected to step into the starting lineup alongside creative stars Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal.

Meanwhile, manager Luis de la Fuente faces intense tactical decisions in the centre of the pitch, where Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz are heavily pushing to displace Mikel Merino alongside Rodri and Pedri.

Defensively, Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro remain locked in a tight battle for the starting right-back spot.

Austria team news

Austria enters this crucial knockout stage in a much more advantageous physical position, boasting a remarkably clean bill of health following their thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria.

Manager Ralf Rangnick has no fresh injury concerns or disciplinary suspensions to worry about, allowing him to field his absolute strongest lineup.

Team captain and defensive anchor David Alaba gave fans a brief scare after experiencing minor physical discomfort, but medical staff have cleared him to lead the backline.

Similarly, veteran talisman Marko Arnautović is fully fit to start upfront as the primary striker despite taking a heavy knock to his knee during their final group match.

Rangnick’s tactical setup looks highly stable, with Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald anchoring the midfield.

Additionally, Austria retains immense tactical flexibility on the bench, with towering forward Saša Kalajdžić prepared to act as a potent late-game weapon to disrupt Spain’s defensive structure.

Form

Spain

Spain enters the knockout rounds in excellent form, remaining undefeated at the 2026 World Cup. La Roja bounced back from a surprising 0-0 opening draw against Cape Verde by defeating Saudi Arabia 4-0. They secured the top spot in Group H with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay. Crucially, Luis de la Fuente’s side has shown immense defensive solidity, conceding zero goals throughout the entire group stage.

Austria

Austria’s recent form has been highly erratic, defined by resilient attacking but a vulnerable backline. They opened their Group J campaign with a 3-1 win over Jordan, followed by a tough 2-0 loss to Argentina. They dramatically advanced in second place after Saša Kalajdžić scored a 96th-minute equaliser in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Algeria. While potent upfront, Austria has conceded six goals in three games.