Betting Previews & Tips for Dec 6 - World Cup 2022

As the number of teams left in the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues to diminish, Tuesday will be the final day for Round-of-16 matches. Four more teams will compete for a chance to play in the last eight of the tournament.

Group E runner’s up have what looks to be a tricky fixture against Group F winners Morocco, the only African team left in the tournament following the demise of Senegal. That game will be followed by a repeat of the 2019 UEFA Nations League semi-final as Portugal take on the Swiss, who fought incredibly hard on match-day three to book their place in the last 16.

Morocco vs Spain

Odds:

• Spain 1.55
• Morocco 7.00
• Draw 3.75
• Bookmaker: BetOnline

Tuesday’s first Round-of-16 encounter sees Morocco take on the Spanish at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Few people may have expected the Moroccans to top a group containing both Belgium and 2018 finalists Croatia, but the North Africans proved to be stiff opposition during the group stages, so much so that they’ll likely fancy themselves to do well in this fixture against the 2010 World Cup winners.

We saw a mixture of defensive solidity and match-winning quality from Morocco in Group F at this World Cup. Walid Regragui’s men were hard to break down, which is why both the Croats and the Belgians failed to score, but their defensive strength didn’t mean that they lacked an offensive threat. Sure, at times, they were pragmatic, preferring to keep it tight and play it safe when in possession of the ball, but they’ve got some tricky customers who’re capable of producing moments of magic in the final third. Such moments came against both Belgium and Canada, so it would be little surprise if they hurt the Spanish, who didn’t look too assured defensively when losing to Japan last time out, a huge surprise at Canadian betting sites.

While Morocco were steady throughout the World Cup groups, it was a mixed bag from the Spanish, who set off at a ferocious pace, beating Costa Rica by seven goals to nil, but their effort waned rather rapidly. Against the Germans, they were typically strong in possession, keeping the ball well, but they didn’t create too much, which much of the same can be said for their effort against the Japanese.

If we disregard that first game, in which the Costa Ricans simply gave up after 10 minutes, then it’s fair to say that Luis Enrique’s men have looked somewhat toothless. They have a number of wonderful technicians, and they can certainly dominate a game with the ball, but when push came to shove in their last two games, they lack a cutting edge in the final third. In fact, once they were ahead, we saw the Japanese make light work of frustrating a Spanish side that can only really play one way.

At the prices, a bet on Morocco to get a positive result here, makes plenty of appeal. The North Africans have shown a little bit of everything, but the fact that they look comfortable at holding teams off before looking to catch their opponents out at the other end bodes well ahead of a game against a Spanish side that looked very easy to frustrate once the Japanese sat deep last time out.

Moreover, this is not a Morocco that loses often. They’ve lost none of their last ten fixtures, and they’ve kept a clean sheet in seven of those. As we’ve seen, they’re adept at handling top opposition too, as we saw in the groups. At betting odds of 2.40, they’re worth siding with to hold off the Spanish.

Betting Tips:

Score Prediction: 0-0 Draw

Morocco +1 Handicap @ 2.40

Portugal vs Switzerland

Odds:

• Portugal 1.91
• Switzerland 4.50
• Draw 3.25
• Bookmaker: Bodog

The eighth and final Round-of-16 fixture sees 2016 European Champions Portugal take on Switzerland at Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Portugal’s confidence was rocked last time out, as they lost to South Korea, despite taking an early lead. Sure, they had already got the job done in terms of qualification, and boss Fernando Santos did make changes, but there were plenty of regulars still on the field, so the fact that they came unstuck doesn’t bode too well, especially given how hard this Switzerland team can be to face.

It was never going to be easy for the Swizz being thrown into a group with pre-tournament favourites Brazil, while both Serbia and Cameroon proved to be challenging. However, as they’ve done on a regular basis over the last few years, the Swiss fought hard and got the job done.

There’s a whole lot of experience in this Swiss team, and it’s a team that, for the most part, has been together for several years. We saw against Brazil, who could only make the breakthrough in the 83rd minute, that the Swiss can make life very difficult for even the best in the business, while against Serbia, who really went after the game, they showed that they can go toe-to-toe and that they have the quality to hurt teams.

In all honesty, this is another game where the outsiders in the betting have a real chance of upsetting the odds. Portugal has lots of quality, but so do the Swiss, who, based on their efforts so far, probably don’t deserve to be as big as 4.50.

This Swiss team has plenty of big-game experience, and they really do know how to get a result, as Portugal found out back in June when they lost by a goal to nil in the Nations League. Murat Yakin’s men also beat Spain in that competition, so we shouldn’t be surprised if they make life really tough for the Portuguese, who need to recover after a poor result against the South Koreans.

Betting Tips:

Score Prediction Portugal 0-1 Switzerland

Switzerland Draw No Bet @ 3.25