Thursday’s World Cup round of 32 action brings another busy schedule, with Spain, Portugal and Switzerland all in knockout action across North America.Alongside the games, the tournament continues to deliver big storylines, including surprise results and late comebacks to fan celebrations, controversy and off-field headlines.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listHere is what we know:What is the schedule for Thursday’s game?
Spain vs Austria (noon/19:00 GMT) at Los Angeles Stadium.
Portugal vs Croatia (7pm/23:00 GMT) at Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada.
Switzerland vs Algeria (8pm/03:00 GMT on Friday) at BC Place Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
What is the prediction for Spain vs Austria?Spain and Austria have not faced each other regularly, but recent history has been firmly in Spain’s favour. La Roja are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Austria, with each of the last two ending in emphatic four-goal victories.Spain head into the tie as clear favourites to book their place in the last 16. According to the Opta supercomputer, Luis de la Fuente’s side won 70.6 percent of 25,000 pre-match simulations over 90 minutes.That said, the round of 32 has already produced enough surprises to serve as a warning. Austria were given a 12.2 percent chance of winning inside 90 minutes, while draws accounted for the remaining 17.3 percent of simulations.Factoring in extra time and penalties, the supercomputer rates Spain’s chances of reaching the last 16 at 79.5 percent, leaving Austria with a 20.5 percent probability of causing an upset. What is the prediction for Portugal vs Croatia?Portugal have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture over the years. They ha …
