Spain and Austria meet tonight in the World Cup round of 32 at Los Angeles Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm BST on Thursday, July 2. The match will be broadcast live and free on BBC1, with coverage starting at 7.30pm. Viewers can also stream the game via BBC iPlayer, requiring a valid TV licence and BBC account.
Match Context and Stakes
Spain, one of the pre-tournament favourites, topped their qualification group despite a shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. Austria progressed as runners-up behind world champions Argentina. The winners of this clash will face either Portugal or Croatia in Dallas in the last 16. Several big names have already exited the competition, including Germany and the Netherlands.
Quotes from Managers
Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said of Lamine Yamal: "Lamine can play whatever we ask him to play. We've been quite prudent with him, as we do in managing the recovery of all our players, respecting their timelines and also following the evolution of the matches. Lamine is doing very well now and, above all, you can all see how much he wants to play."
Austria manager Ralf Rangnick commented: "Lamine Yamal is an excellent player, and he will be for the next 12, 13 or 14 years, maybe even longer. If he stays healthy and keeps a straight head on his shoulders, he can play a lot of matches. He is one of the players we will watch very closely tomorrow, not to give him a lot of room or too many opportunities to start his dribbling actions. He is a player that all football fans, no matter where they are from, love to watch. But it is our task tomorrow to let him have the ball as little as possible."
