Spain v Belgium Betting Markets
Spain are strong favourites to beat Belgium and it should come as no surprise. Luis de la Fuente's side are the champions of Europe, having landed the 2024 Championship when beating England in the final. La Roja will be aiming to land a second World Cup win having previously obliged with a maiden victory when triumphing in 2010.
The campaign in north America started shakily by drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde although there have since been four consecutive victories. Spain are now trading at 1.61 to claim a victory at the SoFi Stadium which implies a 62% chance of landing a success in normal time against a Belgium side who have found a way of reaching the last eight despite not always being at their best.
Spain are likely to be a warm order at a backable price, with an attractive 2.75 available that they claim a fifth consecutive win without conceding. They were able to shut out Portugal in the previous round and nicked a victory by scoring a last-minute winner. They are now trading at a shorter price to overcome another European opponent.
However, Belgium are dangerous. It appeared that Rudi Garcia's side were bowing out of the World Cup when trailing Senegal going into the final minutes of a last-32 clash. That was before the Red Devils scored twice to take the game into extra-time before a last-gasp penalty stopped spot kicks from happening.
Then came a motivated Belgian side who came out flying against the United States of America to secure a 4-1 victory. This might prove to be the platform for a famous victory here, although the Red Devils may end up looking to seal a draw instead and perhaps that's worthy of consideration.
Goals Under/Over
Over 2.5 Goals is trading at a slightly shorter price than Under 2.5 Goals. That implies that there's a 55% chance of three or more goals being scored across the ninety minutes of play. Only two of Spain's five matches have featured Over 2.5, with Cape Verde showing how the European champions can be nullified with a goalless draw.
There were also slender 1-0 wins against Uruguay and Portugal, with the floodgates only opening against a weak Saudi Arabia side before putting Austria to the sword by a 3-0 scoreline. Therefore, this isn't a goal-crazy side although the Belgium knockout games have involved the ball hitting the net plenty of times.
There were four scored in the clash against Senegal before five were netted in the USA clash. However, this is a high stakes game and Belgium might take a different approach against opposition who can hurt you on the break.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes odds are trading at the same as Over 2.5 Goals. The bottom line is that BTTS No has happened for five consecutive Spain games at this World Cup. After a game against Cape Verde where nobody scored, La Roja have then embarked on four consecutive matches where they've won without conceding.
It's not that the Spanish are a particularly defensive side. It's more that they keep the ball very well and don't allow the opposition to have many chances. Portugal and Uruguay are among the sides who have drawn a blank and the former nearly landed a goalless draw in the last sixteen clash before conceding at the death.
Belgium's games have featured more BTTS Yes outcomes. There was a 1-1 draw against Egypt and a 5-1 spanking of New Zealand. The 2-2 draw against Senegal finished in a 3-2 extra-time victory before a 4-1 success against the US. The only time that BTTS Yes didn't happen was when they came up against a defensive Iran side and that was a goalless draw.
We're leaning towards BTTS Yes as Belgium can't surely defend and change their game plan significantly. Their progress is dependent on attacking football, with Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku some of the players that can cause problems.
First Goalscorer
Mikel Oyarzabal missed a gilt-edged chance to fire Spain into an early lead against Portugal, although the Real Sociedad forward will remain the central striker for this clash. He is always someone who will have chances come his way, with a brace coming against Austria after previous notching two goals against Saudi Arabia.
Each of the attacking trident that started against the Portuguese all have a goal on the board, with Alex Baena operating on the opposite flank to Lamine Yamal, while Dani Olmo has forced his way into the central attacking midfield position. Arsenal's Mikel Merino had the scoring touch against Portugal and perhaps he can make the difference.
As for Belgium, Charles De Ketelaere came to the table when scoring two goals against the United States during his sixty-seven minutes on the pitch. The Atalanta man is preferred over Romelu Lukaku and he was also able to come up with an assist in the game against the co-hosts.
Captain Youri Tielemans has come up with some important goals when needed and operates in the central attacking midfield role unless Kevin De Bruyne is preferred in that position. Leandro Trossard brings goals to the party and Dodi Lukebakio is the right-winger who can boast a threat.