Morocco v Spain Tips: Back against both teams scoring in Tuesday’s fixture

Morocco might have expected to play Spain in the Round of 16 at this World Cup – but probably not in these circumstances! The African side surprisingly topped Group F, while the Europeans finished second in Group E behind shock pool winners Japan.

Morocco’s greatest strength is their defensive work, as proven by them conceding just one goal in games against dangerous opponents Croatia, Belgium and Canada – the joint-best record in the group stage.

Spain, meanwhile, found the net on a joint tournament-high nine occasions. But, after impressing with a slick 7-0 victory against Costa Rica, they ran out of steam a little and were held to a draw by Germany and then lost to Japan. Luis Enrique’s side had the lead in both matches.

Atlas Lions aiming for history

Morocco aims to become the first North African side to ever reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. It marks an impressive reversal in fortunes after they were eliminated in the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Indeed, this is only the second time that the Atlas Lions have reached the knockout stages of the World Cup. Their previous visit to this point of the competition came back in 1986, when they were defeated 1-0 by West Germany, so history has already been created.

If they are to go further, they will once again lean on a stingy defensive line, behind which Sevilla’s highly rated goalkeeper Yassine Bounou will earn his 49th cap. At the other end of the field, look for Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech and the tricky Sofiane Boufal to inject fantasy to the team, while Sevilla centre forward Youssef En-Nesyri will be the danger man.

Spain to end World Cup woes?

Spain may be established as one of football’s superpowers since the rise of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the 2000s, but their record in the World Cup has been disappointing since they won the trophy in 2010. They were eliminated from the group stages in Brazil four years later, while they were defeated by hosts Russia on penalties in the last 16 in 2018.

Their technical level is second to none, but questions have arisen over their mentality after they failed to close out their matches against Germany and Japan in the group stages, despite dominating both.

Alvaro Morata may be a divisive figure to lead the attack, but, with three goals in Qatar so far, he is undoubtedly Spain’s most likely scorer. La Roja’s real threat, though, is in their intricate football. But this can also be a weakness if they try to overdo things.

Expect a tight match

Spain’s first knockout round match against an African opponent is likely to be a more complicated affair than the odds suggest. This is reflected in the fact that under 2.5 goals is on offer at 1.7.

Indeed, when these nations met in 2018, Morocco twice took the lead before the match finished 2-2. This is unlikely to be such an open affair. Spain, after all, are not a prolific team. In their nine competitive internationals this year, only four have seen more than 2.5 goals.

The value may lie in backing against both teams to score. Spain have kept four clean sheets in their last seven, while only one of Morocco’s last eight has seen both teams find the net. Odds of 1.74 look attractive here.

Morocco v Spain Tips

Both teams not to score @ 1.74

Portugal: favourites to beat Switzerland in the Round of 16

Portugal v Switzerland

Portugal and Switzerland face off for the third time in 2022 – but this is their most important meeting yet. They notched a victory each In the Nations league back in June - Portugal ran out 4-0 victors at home, before losing 1-0 in Geneva a week later. Indeed, the last six games between these nations have been split three victories apiece.

The Swiss go into this match as underdogs, but they showed that they are capable of springing a surprise at Euro 2020 when they eliminated France. By contrast, Portugal have not won a knockout World Cup match since 2006, when they reached the quarter-finals.

Switzerland can spring a shock in this match, and, with a +0.5 head start on the Asian Handicap market, they look a good price to not lose this game in 90 minutes. For those who fancy Portugal, consider backing them at 2.7 to lead at half-time. They have netted the opener in eight of their last nine games at the World Cup.

Portugal v Switzerland Tips

Switzerland +0.5 on the Asian Handicap @ 2
Portugal to win the first half @ 2.7