World Cup 2018: 4 Players who can be the key to Spain's success in their match against Russia
The first two games of the round of 16 have already entertained and at the same time, upset fans as the world saw both Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo bow out of the World Cup.
France and Uruguay have already booked a berth each at the quarterfinals. Spain and Russia will now lock horns to try and do the same.
The fans are in for a treat if the tie is anywhere near as breathtaking as the first two games of the round of 16, one of which was a 7-goal thriller between France and Argentina.
But tonight it's all about Spain and the host nation, Russia.
Here are three players whose performance can decide Spain's fate in the World Cup.
#4 Diego Costa
Filling the boots of Spain's all-time top goalscorer, David Villa was never going to be an easy task for Costa and his poor performances for La Roja brought him some harsh criticism. Diego Costa had a frustrating 2014 World Cup in the country of his birth, Brazil, and an equally frustrating Euro Cup in 2016. The Brazil-born forward who decided to play his football for the Spanish National team failed to score a single goal in 2014 World Cup and had a similar fate in the 2016 Euro as well.
The 2018 World Cup, however, has brought out the best in him. With 3 goals in 3 games, Diego Costa has been invaluable for the Spanish in their quest to get a second World Cup.
Costa has led the Spanish frontline with utmost brilliance and dedication, turning up with goals when his team needed him the most. The 29-year-old Spanish striker scored two of his three goals when his team was trailing, both times equalizing against Portugal.
His third goal was a 54th-minute strike against Iran, the only goal of the game, that gave the men in red a much-needed win.
The ex-Chelsea center forward has a point to prove in his national color and this is the perfect opportunity for him to silence his critics, and he seemed to have grabbed it with both hands.
He has been in inspired form in the group stages and his teammates will want the same from him in the knockout stages as well.