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23:28 
I’m not sure Spain have been at their free-flowing best so far at the World Cup, yet still they’re getting results, and still they’re one of the favourites to lift the trophy. In Austria, they play a nation whose style perhaps allows Spain to do what they do best, and Mikel Oyarzabal in particular should be able to find more space on Thursday evening.
The Sociedad man struggled to get into the game against Uruguay, but it was about as stop-start a Spain game as you’re likely to see. Let’s not forget, this is the man that scored the winning goal at Euro 2024; he can do it on the biggest stage, and he’s already proven that at the World Cup with two goals and an assist against Saudi Arabia.
Look back a bit further, and Oyarzabal’s numbers for his country are ridiculous. He’s registered a total of 22 goals and assists combined in his last 15 international starts, and this selection has landed in 13 of those games.
Austria presents the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track. Ralf Rangnick’s men are yet to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup, conceding once against Jordan, twice against Argentina, and three times against a very average Algeria side. Play like that here, and Spain will pick them apart.
Alex Baena may well have been the match winner against Uruguay last week, but I think he’s been quite a frustrating watch. He lacks the dynamism, the pace, and the real cutting threat that Nico Williams brings, but what he may lack there, he makes up for in work ethic. His off the ball contributions are well worth a look again here.
No player in the Spain squad has committed more fouls than Baena at the World Cup thus far, and that’s having not even started Spain’s opener against Cape Verde. He’s averaging a pretty staggering 3.57 fouls P/90, but that’s no surprise given how operates for Atletico, where he averaged 1.50 fouls P/90 this season.
Baena committed four fouls against Uruguay, and whilst I don’t foresee quite the same game here, I do expect Austria to be aggressive in the fifty-fifty duels, and for them to throw bodies forward. Fouls will come from Baena when tracking back, and he’ll have to deal with the runs of Stefan Posch, who draws 0.74 fouls P/90. Keep an eye on the likes of Laimer and Schimd as well, who will operate down that side of the pitch; they combine for a further 2.74 fouls won P/90.
It’s been a rather slow start for Pedri at the World Cup, but oddly enough, the Uruguay game is perhaps where he showed off his talents best. He’s incredibly good at protecting the ball in tight spaces, and fashioning himself a yard of space before picking a pass; with the play likely to run through him, he’ll no doubt draw fouls against a very exuberant and aggressive Austria midfield.
Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia struggled to get close to Spain regardless of the results, and with the gap in quality, it’s no surprise that he failed to draw fouls in those outings. Against Uruguay however, a team that wanted to mix it and wanted to press he drew three; Austria will play in a similar way. Let’s not forget, this is a man who drew at least one foul in 100% of his appearances in qualifying, and who drew 2.13 fouls P/90 across all competitions for Barcelona this season.
With the likes of Xaver Schlager and Konrad Laimer in the Austria midfield, don’t be surprised to see Pedri on the end of some pretty rash challenges. The duo have combined for 4.19 fouls P/90 at the World Cup thus far, and we’ll see big numbers from them here as they look to stop Spain from simply pinging the ball about.
Spain vs Austria Team News & Current Form
Spain have been a difficult side to judge so far this summer. They’re an elite footballing nation, and there’s no doubting the quality at their disposal, but the performances on the whole haven’t quite been there. A lacklustre 0-0 draw with Cape Verde was followed up by an emphatic 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. They may have got the win over Uruguay as well, but they looked somewhat unsettled in the process.
Can Austria therefore cause an upset? They’re a nation that are very happy to try and mix it with the best, but they very much leave themselves open at the back. Ralf Rangnick’s men are yet to keep a clean sheet this summer, with their only win of the group stage coming via a 3-1 triumph over Jordan. They were pretty handily beat by Argentina, and in fact, they needed a 96th minute goal to nab a 3-3 draw at the death with Algeria just to qualify for the round of 32.
Some of Spain’s struggles can perhaps be pinned on key players lacking fitness. Nico Williams has struggled for minutes this season, and will miss this game for definite with a fresh hamstring injury. He’s joined in the treatment room by Yeremy Pino, whilst Victor Munoz is still battling through his own hamstring troubles.
There will be spaces in the side for Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal, whilst the biggest dilemma revolves around who joins Pedri and Rodri in midfield.
As for Austria, veterans Marko Arnautovic and Davd Alaba are both likely to feature despite having suffered knocks against Algeria. Outside of that, there are no injury concerns, so keep an eye on Xaver Schlager; the Leipzig midfielder has committed more fouls than any other player in the Austria squad this summer, and is priced at 4.33 for a card.
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