Australia midfielder Mark Bresciano unlikely to face Spain

Bresciano, who arrived in Brazil with a persistent back problem, has started Australia's first two games in Group B but looks likely to miss out against Spain on Monday due to a hip injury, which is connected to his back issues.

The veteran midfielder and his long-time teammate Tim Cahill claimed the record of most appearances at World Cup finals for Australia, with eight, when they lined up in their country's 3-2 loss to the Netherlands.

But Bresciano admitted at Australia's base in Vitoria that he may miss out on moving ahead of Cahill, who will miss the Spain match through suspension.

"It's not looking too good. I'm very disappointed," he told FIFA.com.

"Leading up to the World Cup, I was struggling with my back and we've done everything possible to get it right. The medical staff have been brilliant and got me back on my feet.

"But when you have injuries, other problems start arising and it's hard to carry through the games. I didn't feel 100 per cent against the Dutch and things have been steadily progressing. We're still going to try do everything possible but it looks like I could miss out."

Looking back on his experiences at World Cups, Bresciano still ranks the 2-2 draw with Croatia that sent Australia into the round of 16 at Germany 2006 as his favourite memory.

"The best moment of all was probably the game against Croatia, when Harry Kewell scored that goal to equalise, knowing that we were going to go through to the next stage," Bresciano said.

"You know what though? I haven't ever watched the game back. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who crossed the ball into the box for the goal. I'm not sure what happened - maybe there was a little scuffle in the box or something - but it landed on Harry's foot and he just put it away."