Morocco v Spain prediction and team news: Who will win Round of 16 game?
Our predictions for Morocco v Spain in the World Cup 2022 Round of 16, including who we think will win and predicted line-ups.
Spain enter the World Cup knockout rounds as group runners-up against unexpected Group F winners Morocco.
In one sense, the Spanish can breathe a sigh of relief that their lax qualification didn't result in a clash with elite opposition with a top pedigree, but Morocco have outperformed teams matching that exact description.
Morocco topped the group ahead of Croatia and at the expense of Belgium. They are not simply here to make up the numbers, and boast a cluster of elite players aiming to inspire their nation against their Alboran Sea neighbours.
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The knockout rounds have been straightforward for a bunch of teams expected to qualify to the latter stages, but Croatia were almost dispatched by Japan yesterday and Spain will hope to avoid skidding on another banana skin here.
RadioTimes.com brings you our predictions and team news for Morocco v Spain in the World Cup 2022 Round of 16.
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When is Morocco v Spain?
Morocco v Spain will kick off at 3pm on Tuesday 6th December 2022.
Check out all the games coming up with our World Cup TV schedule guide.
Morocco v Spain team news
Morocco predicted line-up: Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Sabiri; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Spain predicted line-up: Simon; Carvajal, Rodri, P Torres, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; F Torres, Morata, Olmo.
Morocco v Spain prediction
Spain have dominated the ball in this tournament, with more possession per game than any other team with their remarkable 76.9 per cent average casting a long shadow over second-highest Argentina with 65.3 per cent.
The young Spaniards have also completed a higher percentage of passes than any other teams, though they have won fewer aerial duels than any other team outside of Brazil. It's obvious they enjoy playing with the ball on the deck as often as possible.
Morocco won't be too displeased with their opponent's style. The North African side boast the tall presence of Youssef En-Nesyri up front and are very happy to play without the ball (fourth-lowest possession per game – 36.5 per cent – of all 32 teams in the tournament). They will hope the likes of Hakim Ziyech can use their pace to hit Spain on the break when situations open up.
Expect a tight showdown between the dark horses of this tournament and Spain, who will have learned plenty from their defeat against Japan.
Our prediction: Morocco 1-2 Spain (17/2 at bet365)
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Morocco v Spain odds
In working partnership with RadioTimes.com, bet365 has provided the following betting odds for this event:
Morocco (6/1) Draw (3/1) Spain (8/15)*
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.