Archie Wilson shares his picks and plays for the Quarter-final between Spain and Belgium.
Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final is a clash of European giants, as the reigning Euros champions Spain are set to face off with fellow historical powerhouse Belgium.
For Belgium, it could be a surprise that they have found themselves this deep in the tournament, as the general consensus surrounding them was that their golden generation had come and gone, and that they were now on the outside looking in at these kinds of stages.
For Spain, some would argue they are yet to meet their lofty expectations from an attacking standpoint, but what has essentially allowed them to flick on cruise control is the fact their defence has been nothing short of lockdown. Through 450 minutes of football at this tournament, they are yet to concede, and from an advanced standpoint, have only allowed 1.5 xG to this point.
In regard to this one, Belgium are once again going to need a performance that shows the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As you would expect, their manager, Rudi Garcia, will likely take a similar approach to his last few games, where some of his highest-profile talent has sat on the bench and been used as impact.
Spain, on the other hand, will look to launch off this extremely solid defensive foundation, which could allow their attack to play with a bit more freedom. That could unlock the likes of Lamine Yamal or Mikel Oyarzabal to do what they do best in the final third. If that is the case, I could certainly see Spain getting to the semi-final of yet another major tournament.
Tips
Best Bet: Under 2.5 Total Goals @ $2.00
Best Goalscorer: Mikel Oyarzabal @ $2.10
Same Game Multi: Under 2.5 Total Goals + Mikel Oyarzabal ATS + Both Teams To Score: No @ $7.46
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