Spain battles Morocco in the Round of 16 Tuesday with kickoff from Education City Stadium set for 10 a.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Morocco vs. Spain odds, and make our best World Cup bets, picks and predictions.
Spain finished 2nd in Group E group stage play. They kicked off their World Cup play with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, then drew Germany 1-1 and lost to Japan 2-1.
Spain’s main attacker is F Alvaro Morata, but their real strength is in the midfield with M Sergio Busquets and M Gavi bringing both experience and energy to this technically-sound lineup.
Spain ranks 7th in the world per FIFA while Morocco sits 22nd.
Morocco won Group F behind 2 wins and a draw. They beat Belgium 2-0 and Canada 2-1 after drawing their first match of the tournament against Croatia 0-0. There main star is PSG D Achraf Hakimi, who was actually born in Madrid, Spain.
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Morocco vs. Spain odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 2:06 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Morocco +600 (bet $100 to win $600) | Spain -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | Draw +285
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: +125 | U: -145)
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Prediction
Spain 1, Morocco 1
Moneyline (ML)
BET MOROCCO OR TIE (+120).
Belgium was a disappointment in group stage play, but Morocco beating them 2-0 almost seems as impressive as Spain thrashing a low-tier CONCACAF side.
Morocco has an underrated amount of high-level competitors with F Hakim Ziyech having 19 goals in 46 caps. Morocco’s strength is in their defenders with Hakimi leading the way.
They have allowed just 1 goal this tournament, and with Spain having adjusted their lineup several times to figure out what works, the technical side will be there but the chemistry may not be.
Spain had a draw and loss against the best 2 teams in their group while Morocco beat the 2nd-best team in the world and then drew the 12th. Morocco has proven enough to bet on them either winning in 90 or heading past full time.
Over/Under (O/U)
LEAN UNDER 2.5 (-145).
Morocco has been outstanding defensively, but they also haven’t been great offensively. Morocco scored 2 against Belgium and Canada but failed to tally a goal against Croatia. In their last 2 games, Morocco has 4 goals but just 6 shots on target.
Capitalizing on that rate against Spain won’t be as easy. Outside of their 7-goal performance, Spain has scored just 1 goal per game. They had just 8 shots on target in their last 2 games.
Considering neither side has been a high-pace side with Spain’s technical dominance likely killing the clock, this should be a low-scoring battle. At this value, the UNDER 2.5 (-145) is just a lean.
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