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Following a disastrous start to the tournament where their manager had been sacked before a ball was even kicked, Spain have regrouped and shown glimpses of why they were pre tournament favourites.
After a scintillating 3-3 draw against Portugal, Spain beat Iran then scored late against Morocco to draw 1-1 and top the group, but it could have been a much different result but for VAR.
Russia stormed to a 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the tournament and followed it up with a 3-1 win over Egypt. The winning streak came to an end against Uruguay who put three past the hosts without reply.
World Cup: Portugal vs Spain player ratings
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When is it?
Spain vs Russia is on Sunday 1 July and kicks off at 15:00 in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
Where can I watch it?
The round of 16 matches are yet to be divided between ITV and BBC, but one of the broadcasters will be showing full live coverage.
Spain and Russia played in a 3-3 draw in November 2017, but the 2010 World Cup Champions have the better over Russia in tournament football, beating them 4-1 and 3-0 in the 2008 European Championship.
As hosts, Russia will have the majority of the crowd behind them, but even they will recognise this as Russia's toughest fixture so far, and a win would be little short of a miracle.
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