Spain at Full Strength for Austria With Yamal Back From Hamstring Injury

Spain confirm Yamal, Munoz and Pino fit for Austria World Cup clash  

Lamine Yamal, Yeremy Pino and Victor Munoz are all fit for Spain’s World Cup round-of-32 tie. De la Fuente says the squad is improving after Cape Verde draw and 1-0 win over Uruguay.

De la Fuente says Spain ready to ‘respond to expectations’ vs Austria...

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said his stacked roster will be at full strength for Thursday’s World Cup round-of-32 clash with Austria, with Lamine Yamal, Victor Munoz, and Yeremy Pino all cleared to play.

De la Fuente told reporters he’s expecting a step up from La Roja after a slow start to the tournament. Spain opened with a draw against Cape Verde, edged Uruguay by one, and only looked like their dominant selves in a 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia.

“What I am seeing this week is that the team is beginning to recognise” what needs to be fixed in their results so far, the coach said.

Lamine Yamal’s minutes have been carefully managed through the tournament, but De la Fuente said he’s now cleared to play as long as needed.

The Barcelona winger has been brought along slowly after a hamstring tear in April. Pino has also returned from a left shoulder sprain, while Munoz is fit again following a muscle issue, though he hasn’t featured in a while.

De la Fuente brushed off worries about the huge pressure from Spanish fans, even with Spain’s string of early World Cup exits since their 2010 title.

“I love that it is demanded of us, because a lot is expected of us and what we have to do is respond to that expectation,” said De la Fuente.

At Wednesday morning’s training, Lamine Yamal was in good spirits, laughing and joking with teammates in a relaxed session.

De la Fuente said he’d already settled on his lineup for the game, but gave nothing away about who will start.