Luis de la Fuente’s side are top of Group H with seven points after a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, before beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0. While Spain haven’t consistently been at their best, the head coach believes his side are improving with every game.
“This team is used to breaking records and overcoming obstacles; we are determined to keep moving forward,” De La Fuente said, adding that as the game progressed, players began to identify areas for improvement.
Meanwhile, Austria is enjoying its best World Cup campaign in more than seventy years. Ralf Rangnick’s side beat Jordan 3-1, lost 0-2 to Argentina and drew 3-3 with Algeria to finish second in Group J. Although Austria scored six goals in the group stage, Rangnick admitted his side must improve against the unbeaten Spanish side.
One of Austria’s biggest challenges is stopping 18-year-old Lamine Yamal. The Spanish winger has recovered from a hamstring injury and is expected to play a bigger role in the knockout rounds after scoring a goal in the group stages.
Historically, Spain has the upper hand, unbeaten in their past five meetings with Austria, although their last World Cup meeting was a 2-1 win against Austria in 1978.
The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to the last 16 against Portugal or Croatia, both sides vying for a spot in the World Cup’s last 16.
