Austria face Spain in the World Cup round of 32

Tonight: Spain in the round of 32

This is it. Austria face Spain in the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday at 21:00 (2) (4). A place in the last 16 is on the line. No warm-up act, no second chances, one match, and a tournament favorite stands in your way. Spain come in off a draw with Cape Verde that raised eyebrows (7).

Rangnick knows the dynamic

Ralf Rangnick is not dressing it up. "Playing against one of the favorites conditions what you do," he said ahead of the match (3). No bluster, just pragmatism. Austria's path runs through defensive discipline and hitting on the break. That has been the formula all tournament, and Rangnick sounds ready to stick with it.

Prohaska: Spain haven't been frightening

Herbert Prohaska has seen this before, he was there in 1978, and he is not backing down now. "The Spanish haven't been frightening so far," the Austria legend said in an interview looking ahead to Thursday (8). Spain's draw with Cape Verde is the kind of result that gives a team belief.

De la Fuente projects confidence

Spain's coach is talking big. "For me they're the best players in the world," Luis de la Fuente said of his squad ahead of the match (4) (6). He also flagged injury concerns, Nico was training on the sidelines while Victor and Yeremy worked with the group (11). How many of them feature remains an open question.

Arnautovic in the probable lineup

Reports out of Italy list Marko Arnautovic in Austria's probable starting eleven, with Lamine Yamal leading Spain's attack (9). Arnautovic brings the physical presence and big-game experience Austria need in a knockout match of this scale.