Spain should handle Austria without too much trouble when these sides meet in the Round of 32 at SoFi Stadium. Their recent run has been strong, with four wins and a draw across the last five games including that 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia and a 1-0 victory over Uruguay. Austria scraped through Group J after a wild 3-3 draw with Algeria but lost 0-2 to Argentina, so the gap in quality feels obvious.
Lamine Yamal is back fit from his hamstring issue and looks sharp after scoring once already in the tournament. Mikel Oyarzabal has two goals and an assist to his name while Rodri and Pedri should control the midfield. Austria will miss Christoph Baumgartner with his thigh problem, leaving Marko Arnautovic as their main threat with two goals so far. David Alaba and Konrad Laimer have chipped in with assists but the defensive record looks shaky.
Predicted lineups point to Spain lining up in a 4-2-3-1 with Unai Simon in goal, a back four of Marc Cucurella, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi and Pedro Porro plus Rodri and Pedri sitting deep. Austria are expected to go with Alexander Schlager behind Stefan Posch, Philipp Lienhart and David Alaba, then a midfield featuring Konrad Laimer, Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager supporting Marcel Sabitzer and Arnautovic up top. Mikel Merino is available again after his foot fracture while Fermin Lopez remains out.
Spain sit top of Group H on seven points from two wins and a draw. Austria advanced from Group J but their form has been mixed at best. Spain are heavy favorites at around 3/10 to progress and their squad depth should make the difference over 90 minutes. Expect them to dominate possession and create plenty of chances.
Spain's attack has looked clinical lately while Austria have conceded in most recent outings. A clean sheet feels realistic for the Spaniards given the personnel they have available.
Recommended Bets
Spain -1.5 @ 1.90 — Spain's attacking options and recent scoring record point to a comfortable margin against an Austria side that has leaked goals.
Spain win to nil @ 1.85 — Clean sheets in three of their last five matches plus Austria's defensive absences make this a strong angle.
Over 2.5 goals @ 2.10 — Spain average over two goals per game lately and Austria's games have been high scoring in the group stage.
Odds tend to shorten closer to kickoff — lock in value now.
