World Cup Predictions & Tips | Round of 32: Spain v Austria

Match 84: Spain v Austria
Location: Los Angeles Stadium
Time: 7:00am, Friday 3 July
Head to Head: Spain Wins (4), Austria Wins (1), Draws (1)

Key Stats

• Spain have maintained a clean sheet in 10 of their last 13 games
• Spain has more possession (69.4%) than any other team in the group stage
• Austria have scored at least once in 7 of their previous 8 matches
• Under 2.5 goals is 6-0 in Spain’s last 6 knockout games in this competition

Preview

Austria’s battle against Aleria was supposed to end 0-0 with both teams progressing but it ended 3-3 with multiple goals scored in injury time! Spain on the other hand played with poise and control to claim a 1-0 win over Uruguay to win Group H. The result means they were one of only two teams (Mexico) not to concede a goal and they have improved to 10 clean sheets in their last 13 games. Spain made more history by extending their unbeaten run to 34 matches – eclipsing the previous record of 33 held by Brazil. Statistics and records are a nice touch but there is no substitute for winning the tournament and that is where their focus will be.

It has been a long time between drinks for Austria with this being their first appearance at the finals since 1998. Knockout football has not been kind to them in recent years with their last two appearances at the Euros ending with an exit in the first game of the knockout stages. Austria have failed to score in only 1 of their last 8 games but that did come against Argentina, who like Spain are excellent at taking control of central midfield.

No team does that better than Spain and they lead the competition with a whopping 69.4% possession. They like to build the play up slowly and that allows teams to set up defensively against them. This is evident with the fact that they have had 55 shots in three games played but have managed to score only 4 goals. Interestingly, Spain have been eliminated via a penalty shootout in each of its last two knockout matches in this competition. They were held to a 0-0 draw by Morocco in 2022 and a 1-1 draw by Russia in 2018. Spain has not won a knockout match in this tournament since they lifted the trophy in 2010 with Under 2.5 goals going 6-0 in their last 6 knockout games (under 1.5 goals id 5-1 in that stretch).

Player To Watch

Most people would be expecting to read about Rodri or Pedri but the player to watch is Austria’s goalkeeper – Alexander Schlager. Rodri led the competition with 350 passes in the group stage but less than 1% were passes that led to opportunities. Pedri led the team in shots created (6) but a history of low scoring battles in the knockout stages (and penalties) makes Austria’s stalwart in goal a very important figure in this game. If he can turn away Spain’s long range attempts, extra time and penalties is a genuine possibility.

Betting Tips

Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($1.95)
Other: Under 1.5 goals ($3.70)
Correct Score: Draw 0-0 ($13)
SGM: Both Teams To Score – No, Austria +1.5, Austria Goalkeeper 4+ saves ($4.64)