Spain lineup vs. Austria: Predicted XI for World Cup 2026 clash amid triple injury concern

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente is sweating on the status of three wide men ahead of Thursday's World Cup 2026 last-32 encounter with Austria at the SoFi Stadium.

La Roja's 1-0 win over Uruguay in their final Group H match came at a cost, as Yeremy Pino sustained a shoulder injury while Nico Williams strained his adductor after coming on as a substitute.

In addition, Liverpool-bound attacker Victor Munoz is dealing with hamstring discomfort and remains a doubt, although he is in with a better shot of making the cut after returning to partial team training.

Regardless, Alex Baena should reprise his role on the left-hand side after scoring the winner against Marcelo Bielsa's team, joining Mikel Oyarzabal and the fit-again Lamine Yamal in an unchanged front three.

De la Fuente faces a bigger selection quandary in midfield, where Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz and Gavi are all battling to displace Mikel Merino alongside Rodri and Pedri.

However, Merino made a crucial tackle in the lead-up to Baena's goal against Uruguay, so the Arsenal man may have done enough to retain his spot in the engine room.

The same goes for the entirety of De la Fuente's backline, which has still not conceded a goal or faced a first-half shot on target at the World Cup so far.

Spain possible starting lineup:

Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Merino, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena

> Click here to see how Austria could line up against Spain