Morocco vs Spain
6 December 2022
BCA Prediction: Spain win or draw (X2)
Spain opened their campaign with a 7-0 mauling of Costa Rica, but they have since struggled, drawing against Germany and losing to Japan. They still had 82.3% possession and 969 completed passes in the 2-1 defeat to the Japanese, which means that they are likely to dominate the ball against any opponents. This may be the reason why they have scored in 24 consecutive matches. In fact, Luis Enrique’s men have scored 18 goals in their last ten competitive fixtures and conceded 8 times in that run of games, so we can expect fireworks in this match.
Morocco are no pushover though. The Atlas Lions finished top of Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium after three stellar performances. They are now on a 26-game unbeaten run in competitive fixtures, winning twenty and drawing 6. Their last competitive defeat within 90 minutes came at the 2018 World Cup in a 1-0 defeat to Portugal, and they have been even more solid since Walid Regragui took over as manager. The goal conceded against Canada in their final group game is the only one they have conceded in the last 4 competitive games under Regragui.
This will be the second World Cup meeting between the two sides, following a 2-2 draw in the 2018 group stages. That clash saw Morocco twice take the lead before drawing 2-2, with Spain needing a last-minute Iago Aspas equalizer to avoid defeat. That draw forms part of a four-game unbeaten run for Morocco at the World Cup, while they have scored twice in three of those four clashes. Considering this, it is difficult to tip the Spaniards for an outright win, so we will go for Spain to win or draw.
Key Takeaways:
- Morocco haven’t lost in their last four World Cup games, scoring twice in three of them
- Spain have score in 24 consecutive matches
- Spain set the record for the most possession (82.3%) and most completed passes (969) by a losing team in a World Cup match
Portugal vs Switzerland
6 December 2022
BCA Prediction: Over 2.5 goals
Switzerland’s win over Serbia was arguably the game of the tournament so far, with the Swiss fighting back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 and seal their spot in the last 16. Overall, they have scored 14 goals and conceded 12 in their last 10 competitive fixtures, so they favour an open free-flowing style of play.
Fernando Santos’ Portugal sealed qualification within two games and managed to top the group despite a 2-1 loss to South Korea in their final group game. They have now scored in every one of their last nine World Cup games, and the last team to keep a clean sheet against them at the World Cup was Germany in 2014. In the last ten competitive matches, Portugal have scored 19 goals and conceded seven so they are also a side that sees lots of goals in their matches.
The Portuguese arguably have more quality spread across their squad; ideally, they should be our favourites for the win. But they have not won a knockout game in a tournament since 2016 and have failed to win any of their last five knockout games at the tournament. They are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for just the third time in their history, so they cannot be said to have a lot of prestige in this tournament. Even more concern is that star man, and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored a World Cup knockout goal. For these reasons, we have decided on over 1.5 goals as our tip for this match.
Key Takeaways:
- Switzerland saw both teams score in four of their five games at the Euros last year
- Switzerland have conceded in 12 of their last 14 games
- Portugal haven’t won a knockout game since 2016, but they have scored in each of their last 9 World Cup games
FIFA World Cup 2022
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and this will be the first time the event will be hosted by a Middle Eastern country. Qatar 2022 is set to have a massive geographical impact on the region for the first since the tournament’s inception in 1930.
The World Cup is a unique event in many aspects, bringing about various opportunities, especially for football enthusiasts, and with it comes many betting markets. The competition among the 32 qualified national teams will be very fierce; hence you need a guide and insight on which teams or players to stake on.
