Rangnick: We Must Stop Yamal to Stand a Chance Against Spain

Austria's head coach, Ralf Rangnick, stated that fans worldwide love watching Lamine Yamal play, but containing the Spanish winger's talent will be a top priority for his team in tonight's World Cup Round of 16 clash, scheduled for 10:00 PM Bulgarian time.

Yamal accumulated 141 minutes across three group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring once.

"Lamine Yamal is an excellent footballer and will continue to be for the next 12, 13, or 14 years, perhaps even longer," Rangnick commented.

"If he stays healthy and keeps a clear head, he can play many games. He is one of the players we will be watching very closely to ensure he doesn't get much space or opportunities to unleash his talent. He's a player all football fans, no matter where they're from, love to watch. But our job is to allow him to have the ball as little as possible," the Austrian team's head coach further explained.

Ralf Rangnick believes his team will need to elevate their performance against a Spanish side that has been undefeated in 34 matches since March 2023.

"We all know we need to perform even better than we have so far. Against Spain, that's obvious. We need to take another step forward," the specialist added.

Austria's national team captain, David Alaba, who spent five seasons at Real Madrid, commented that he and his teammates are fully aware of the quality Spain possesses.

"They play very attractive football. They have immense quality and individual players who can change the game. But we don't want to hide. We want to play offensively and try to win," Alaba said.

Austria will be without defender Philipp Mwene due to injury, but Rangnick stated that his team has enough options to overcome the absences.