Marcel Sabitzer and Austria come up against Spain in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, 2 July as they aim to cause a huge upset.
Following a pulsating 3-3 draw with Algeria in their final Group J encounter that saw Ralf Rangnick's side avoid a last-second defeat, Das Team progressed into the knockout stages as the group runners-up.
But their reward for doing so is another daunting fixture against reigning European champions Spain, who beat Uruguay on matchday three of the group stages to win Group H with seven points and qualify for the last-32.
Marcel Sabitzer to start for Austria?
Borussia Dortmund star Marcel Sabitzer has started in every game for Austria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far and it's a no-brainer that he is very much in line to take his place in the starting XI again on Thursday.
The playmaker even opened his goalscoring account at the tournament with a fabulous long-range strike against Algeria that briefly restored Austria's advantage. Rangnick will be demanding more of the same from him against a Spanish team that is yet to concede a goal at the tournament.
He recently surpassed 100 caps for Austria in their 2-0 loss to Argentina, making him just the fifth player in the nation's history to rack up a century of appearances for the national team. His tally of 27 international goals is also bettered only by Marko Arnautović in the squad, with the former West Ham ace boasting a record 49 to his name.
What about Carney Chukwuemeka?
Austria has another Dortmund player in their ranks, Carney Chukwuemeka. The young gun, who switched allegiance from England to Austria earlier this year, has been used sparingly by head coach Ralf Rangnick, limiting him to just 36 minutes of action in the group stages.
Chukwuemeka got his first taste of the World Cup action against Jordan on matchday one, wherein he came for the final 31 minutes before making a smaller cameo against defending champions Argentina. For the Algeria clash though, the 22-year-old was an unused substitute.
With Spain next for them, the dynamic midfielder will be hoping to get some more minutes under his belt as Austria face a make-or-break clash. Seeing him usurp the current set-up looks difficult, but Rangnick may still call him off the bench in case the side needs fresh legs in midfield in the second half.
Add us as a preferred source on Google