Luis de la Fuente’s side topped Group H with seven points after a 0-0 draw in Cape Verde before beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0. While Spain haven’t always hit top gear, the head coach believes his team is improving with each game.
“This squad is used to breaking records and overcoming rough patches; we are determined to keep moving forward,” said de la Fuente, adding that the players began to identify areas that needed improvement as the tournament progressed.
Austria, meanwhile, are enjoying their best World Cup campaign in more than seven decades. Ralf Rangnick’s men finished second in Group J after beating Jordan 3-1, losing 2-0 to Argentina and 3-3 to Algeria. Although Austria scored six goals in the group stage, Rangnick admitted that his side will have to raise their level against the unbeaten Spanish side.
One of Austria’s biggest challenges is stopping 18-year-old Lamine Yamal. The Spain winger has returned from a hamstring injury and is expected to play a bigger role in the knockout rounds after scoring once during the group stage.
Historically, Spain hold the upper hand, remaining unbeaten in their last five encounters with Austria, although their last World Cup encounter ended in a 2-1 victory for Austria in 1978.
The winner of Thursday’s encounter will advance to face either Portugal or Croatia in the Round of 16, where both sides will be chasing a place among the final 16 teams in the tournament.