Morocco vs Spain Predictions

• Morocco haven’t lost in their last four World Cup games, scoring twice in three of those
• Morocco’s last competitive defeat within 90 minutes came at the 2018 World Cup
• Spain drew with Germany before losing to Japan in their final two group games
• These two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in Russia for years ago, in which En-Nesyri scored

Difficult reward for Morocco

Morocco were able to top Group F after three stellar displays, but their reward for that unlikely achievement is to play Spain in the next round. The Spanish lost their final game against Japan to slip to third, with some claiming they were out to avoid a quarter-final clash with Brazil.

However, Spain still had 82.3% possession and 969 completed passes in their 2-1 defeat, which were both records for a losing team at a World Cup. They’re likely to dominate the ball again in this clash, but will they be able to jumpstart their campaign in Qatar with a victory?

Good memories for Morocco

This will be the second World Cup meeting between Morocco and Spain, 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 equaliser to avoid defeat. That has to give Morocco some confidence heading into Tuesday’s game.

That draw forms part of a four-game unbeaten run for Morocco at the World Cup, while they’ve scored twice in three of those four clashes. They’ve also put together an eight-game unbeaten run, with their last competitive defeat within 90 minutes coming at the 2018 World Cup, when they lost 1-0 to Portugal.

Morocco went out in extra time to Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, while they went to penalties in the 2019 edition. This squad has been through that run and they’ve built up experience, which has allowed them to thrive at this World Cup with a strong following in Qatar behind them.

Morocco worth backing

While Morocco have grown into the tournament, Spain have struggled since a 7-0 win in their opener. They could only draw with a German side who are already back home, while the Japan loss didn’t look like a conscious choice. Morocco have an excellent defensive setup, to they should be able to pose problems for the Spanish.

Morocco held off 2018 runners-up Croatia before beating the highest-ranked European side at the tournament 2-0. Spain are favourites on reputation but this Morocco side look like the real deal and I don’t see them heading home within 90 minutes at least.

Spain will be a tough side to shut down given that they’ve scored in 24 consecutive matches, but Morocco’s scoring rate of late should see them at the very least keep pace, so an exciting 2-2 draw is my correct score prediction, with both teams to score another great option considering the attacking threat on both sides.

Sevilla man can be Spain slayer

There are a couple of good goalscorer options in this one, given that Alvaro Morata has scored in all three games so far, despite playing only 126 minutes at the tournament. He’s worth backing to strike for the Spanish, but it could be a Sevilla player who dents Spain’s hopes at this tournament.

Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri became the first player to score at two different World Cups for the Moroccans with his strike against Canada. He had a further goal ruled out, while the support of Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech all but guarantees him chances. The forward has three goals in his last five competitive internationals and scored against Spain in their 2018 meeting.

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