FIFA World Cup: Spain Faces Morocco in Heated Match

Posted on: December 6, 2022, 08:56h. 

Last updated on: December 6, 2022, 01:10h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The World Cup Round of 16 continues Tuesday, with Spain meeting Morocco and Portugal facing Switzerland. Morocco has been a surprise for soccer fans until now, and has one more shot at advancing.

Spain national team
Spain’s soccer team celebrates on the field during a World Cup win. The team faces Morocco Tuesday in what will be another tough match. (Image: ESPN)

Spain and Morocco will seek the penultimate ticket to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Qatar at the Education City Stadium. The victor will face the winner of the series between Portugal and Switzerland, making today an important step in the series.

La Roja, as Spain is called, comes in as the favorite despite qualifying second in the group, where it lost to Japan and beat Costa Rica and Germany. For its part, Morocco has all the skills necessary to upset Spain.

Morocco on a Roll

Starring for Morocco is Sofyan Amrabat, who has suddenly become an international target. He currently plays for Italy’s Fiorentina. But Liverpool likes what he has done so much that it’s willing to almost double his salary, to $3.4 million per season on a 10-year contract, to get him to come over.

Spain Draw Morocco
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Courtesy of DraftKings

Morocco, thanks in part to Amrabat, took down its group by beating Canada, Belgium, and Croatia. It added seven points off two wins against the first two, and a tie with Croatia. The 26-year-old Amrabat has been on point with his passes and blocks, establishing himself as a driving force for the team.

This will be the second match between Spain and Morocco in a World Cup. The first occurred in the group stage of Russia 2018, a match that ended in a 2-goal draw. In that game, Morocco was in front on two occasions before Spain rallied to tie things up.

La Roja has never lost in its previous three matches against Morocco, registering two wins and one draw. However, Morocco’s success cannot be stressed enough.

It was in a very tough group while Spain, on the other hand, lost to Japan and had an easy run against Costa Rica. This could be the toughest match yet for the Spaniards.

Despite the way the odds are set up on DraftKings and other sportsbooks, this isn’t a clear-cut game. Bettors shouldn’t be surprised if there’s a draw at the end of regulation.

Portugal Looks for Shot Against Switzerland

Portugal and Switzerland will meet Tuesday in an unprecedented duel in the World Cup. The match closes the third day of the knockout stages and finds Cristiano Ronaldo’s team, which is at the center of the controversy for its low performances, looking for redemption.

Portugal Draw Switzerland
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Courtesy of DraftKings

Ronaldo and the rest of the Portuguese squad have had to respond to calls of inaction, despite taking Group H with six points. They beat Ghana 3-2 and Uruguay 2-0, but fell unexpectedly to South Korea, 1-0.

For its part, the Swiss team reached the Round of 16 as second in Group G behind Brazil, to whom it barely lost. Their victory against Cameroon in the debut by 1-0 and elimination of Serbia in the final match were glimpses of what Switzerland can accomplish when it tries.

The winner of this game will pick up the last ticket to the quarterfinals. The separation between the two on the moneyline isn’t overwhelming. But Portugal is expected to pull off the win by one goal.