At 3:00 AM Friday, July 3 (Beijing time, or 8:00 PM Thursday, July 2 GMT), the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 will see Austria face off against the highly-rated Spain. Ahead of the match, Austria's national team coach Ralf Rangnick attended a pre-match press conference at Los Angeles Stadium. During the press conference, Rangnick shared his thoughts on the upcoming match and Spain's star player Lamine Yamal, stating that Austria will do everything to secure victory.

As is well known, Austria's national team coach Rangnick is a pioneer of Gegenpressing tactics – a strategic approach whose core principle is to regain possession of the ball immediately through aggressive counter-pressing, thereby rapidly transitioning the team from defense to attack. At the press conference held at Los Angeles Stadium, the German tactical mastermind shared his perspective on this highly anticipated match. Notably, since the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Austria's national team has never experienced such a high level of excitement and expectations.

What do you think of Spain's national team? What tactical setup will Austria employ?

"Playing against a championship candidate is a great motivation. As for what will happen on Thursday, I won't reveal too many tactical details. We are ready."

Austria received some criticism after their last match against Algeria. What are your thoughts on that?

"Yes, we just completed a long season, and player fatigue is clearly evident – something not entirely within our control. We've been preparing here for a month and would really like to stay a few more days. But I don't think our performance was that bad – we finished second in the group, scored 6 goals, and everyone celebrated in the locker room afterward... Now it's time for everyone to show what they can do on the pitch."

Many Austrian fans grew up watching Spain's national team at their peak in 2008, 2010, and 2012. Do you think this will put pressure on our players, or represent excessive respect for the opponent?

"We didn't play against Spain in 2008 or 2010, so... What's interesting is that this is the first time we're facing a European team at this FIFA World Cup, and there have been quite a few surprises in the tournament so far."

How do you plan to contain Spain?

"We've scored more goals than Spain, but they haven't conceded any. We watched their match against Uruguay, and there weren't many chances throughout the game. Spain is an extremely strong team. When the World Cup began, Alaba was the only player in our squad playing for Real Madrid."

How do you assess Spain's star player Lamine Yamal?

"He is an outstanding player, and as long as he maintains his focus, he will stay at the highest level for the next twelve, thirteen, or even fourteen years, with the potential to become a superstar like Messi. We've been tracking him very closely and won't give him any easy chances or space to finish."

How does Mwene's absence affect the team?

"He was treated and thoroughly examined last night, and unfortunately this morning we learned that he still won't be able to play in the next match. This is really unfortunate, as he was very eager to participate in this game."

What have you learned from Germany's elimination? If the match goes to a penalty shootout, have you considered changing goalkeepers?

"That has nothing to do with me being German. What matters is that Austria must beat Spain – at least we will give our all. To do that, we must push beyond our limits. I am confident that we have the potential to beat Spain."

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