Spain, Portugal eye World Cup last-16 spots as Algeria seek African breakthrough

Spain and Portugal will bid to secure places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Thursday, while Algeria hope to keep African hopes alive in the knockout stage.

European champions Spain face Austria in Los Angeles, with victory setting up a potential last-16 showdown against either Portugal or Croatia.

Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, take on Croatia in Toronto in one of the day‍‍`s most anticipated fixtures. The match could mark the final World Cup appearance for either Ronaldo or Croatian captain Luka Modrić, two veterans who previously starred together at Real Madrid.

Spain head into the knockout phase after topping their group despite an inconsistent start to the tournament. Following an opening draw with Cape Verde, Luis de la Fuente‍‍`s side bounced back with victories over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

De la Fuente said his team has continued to improve throughout the competition and believes Spain are ready for the challenges of the knockout rounds.

The Spanish coach also acknowledged the importance of penalty preparation, with Spain having been eliminated in shootouts at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Meanwhile, Portugal will look to continue their campaign against a Croatia side aiming to spoil Ronaldo‍‍`s hopes of another deep run.

Portugal midfielder Vitinha praised Modrić ahead of the meeting, describing the Croatian playmaker as one of football‍‍`s greatest role models, while hoping Portugal emerge victorious.

Elsewhere, Algeria face Switzerland in Vancouver seeking to become only the second African nation to progress beyond the Round of 32 after Morocco advanced earlier in the tournament.

Algeria reached the knockout stage after a dramatic 3-3 draw against Austria but have never won a World Cup knockout match in their history.

The North Africans also carry the hopes of the continent after Ivory Coast, Senegal and DR Congo were all eliminated in the opening knockout round.

Thursday‍‍`s matches follow another dramatic day at the World Cup, where England came from behind to defeat DR Congo 2-1, Belgium staged a remarkable comeback to beat Senegal 3-2, and the United States advanced with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, the Americans will be without striker Folarin Balogun for their Round-of-16 clash against Belgium after he was sent off during Wednesday‍‍`s victory.