Spain have not won a World Cup knockout match since lifting the trophy at South Africa 2010, but they are warm favourites to overcome Austria at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday.
The last few years have been a success story for Spain, who won the Nations League in 2023 and the European Championship in 2024.
However, La Roja have failed to reach the quarter-finals at three successive World Cups and, most recently, were sunk by Morocco in a last-16 clash at Qatar 2022 where they drew 0-0 and lost 3-0 on penalties.
Luis de la Fuente's side are among the fancied teams this summer and have landed a seemingly favourable draw against Austria, who are preparing for their first World Cup knockout fixture since 1954.
The Austrians have grown accustomed to group-stage exits and a familiar tale seemed to be unfolding at the weekend when they trailed Algeria 3-2 with the contest deep into injury-time.
Ralf Rangnick's side would have been eliminated with a defeat but they refused to yield and levelled the match with a firm header from substitute Sasa Kalajdzic.
Bet on Spain at the World Cup.
Spain v Austria Tips Summary
Best Bet - Spain to win to nil @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Marcos Llorente to register an assist @ 11/2
Bet Builder - Mikel Oyarzabal anytime goalscorer, Xaver Schlager to be carded & under four goals @ 12/1
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Spain v Austria Prediction
Best Bet: Spain to win to nil @ 1/1
Spain kept a trio of clean sheets in the World Cup group stage for the first time in their history and their solid defence may hold the key to defeating Austria in a fairly comfortable fashion.
An extra knockout round means that the 2026 World Cup is likely to feature more penalty shootouts than ever before.
And Spain will be especially keen to progress through the tournament without experiencing too many trials from 12 yards.
The Iberians suffered penalty heartache in the last 16 in 2018 and 2022 - losing to Russia and Morocco - but they can get their business done in regulation time against Austria, who have made heavy weather of getting to this stage.
Austria finished second to Argentina in Group J although three of their four points came as a consequence of a 3-1 triumph over debutants Jordan.
They barely laid a glove on Argentina in a 2-0 defeat and could suffer a similar outcome against Spain, who have distinct advantages in terms of quality and top level experience.
Alternative Bet: Marcos Llorente to register an assist @ 11/2
Spain boss De la Fuente favours an attacking approach which includes encouragement for full-backs to push forward.
And right-sided defender Marcos Llorente has fulfilled the brief by providing four key passes in just two World Cup appearances.
Llorente delivered the cross for Alex Baena’s winning goal against Uruguay and looks overpriced to add to his assist tally.
Spain v Austria Bet Builder Tip
Mikel Oyarzabal anytime goalscorer
Xaver Schlager to be carded
Under 4 goals
Pays 12/1
Spain’s first choice centre-forward Mikel Oyarzabal was touted as a possible contender for the Golden Boot and he showed his quality with a double in the 4-0 triumph over Saudi Arabia.
Oyarzabal faces some stiff competition in the scoring charts, but he has reeled off 11 shots - the highest of any player in Group H - and should continue to pose a threat.
Further goal contributions are on the cards for the 29-year-old, who should benefit from enhanced service now that Spain’s most exciting winger, Lamine Yamal, is getting close to full match sharpness.
Austria will do their utmost to stem the flow of attacks and a lot of the dirty work could be done by RB Leipzig midfielder Xaver Schlager.
The 28-year-old has committed six fouls without being booked but his luck may be about to run out.
Austria were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria, but they mustered only one shot on target in the loss to Argentina and may be heading for another low-scoring defeat.
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Key Match Stats
Spain have won six of their last eight games against Austria
La Roja are unbeaten in 32 matches
Spain have kept clean sheets in eight of their last nine competitive games
Five of Spain's last seven games have featured less than four goals
Spain have started the scoring in 20 of their last 22 matches
Austria have kept just one clean sheet in their last six competitive fixtures
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
