A shock 2-1 defeat to Japan in their last World Cup group stage match may have knocked Spain's confidence but they will be looking to get back on track to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time since they won it in 2010.
To achieve that, they first need to beat surprise side Morocco, who topped Group F easily after beating world number 2 Belgium 2-0.
Morocco vs Spain betting odds
Unsurprisingly, Spain come into this knockout tie as the clear favourites, according to the bookmakers.
With their nine goals scored in the group stage - the most of any team combined with England - the Europeans head into this clash in attacking form, although their loss to Japan last time out did highlight the vulnerability of their defense.
As such, the draw can offer great value at +275. Remember that the immediate result only lasts for 90 minutes of regulation time action.
Odds through BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK) and Ladbrokes (Australia).
Reminder: All moneyline bets in soccer are for regulation time only, regardless of competition. If the game calls for a winner and goes to overtime or penalties, moneyline bets from the regulation draw are successful and the remainder of the game is not taken into account.
Morocco vs Spain: 3 things to know
Morocco vs Spain team news
Coach Walid Reragui confirmed there were no fresh injuries following Morocco's 2-1 win over Canada, with key duo Yassine Bounou and Achraf Hakimi graduating fit, and he could stick with an unchanged team.
Morocco vs Spain key stats
This will be the second World Cup meeting between Morocco and Spain. The first, in 2018 in the group stage, the African team took the lead twice before the match ended 2-2.
Spain will be looking to get past the last 16 for the first time since 2010, when they won the tournament.
Spain have lost only one of their previous five World Cup meetings with African opposition.
Morocco vs Spain match facts
Date: Tuesday, December 6th
Kickoff Time: 10:00am ET / 3:00pm GMT / 2:00am AEDT (Wed, 7 Dec)
Location: Education City Stadium
Official: Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)
Morocco vs Spain prediction
Moneyline lean: Spain wins (-175)
Against the lean spread: Spain -0.5 (-200)
Score prediction: Morocco 1 Spain 2
Given the fact that Morocco managed to top their group, we expect this match to be closer than many expected.
The African nation has shown their class in a relatively easy 2-0 win over Belgium in this tournament, and they come here in clean health again.
There are also questions about experience in this Spain squad. Their midfield duo Gavi and Pedri are highly talented but relatively untested for the national team in high-pressure games like this and could struggle against an aggressively pressing Moroccan side as a result.
Sofyan Amrabat is very strong in the midfield for the African team, and could prove a real handful in the middle of the park again here.
That said, there is still a sizeable gulf in quality between the two sides and while we expect Morocco to prove tough to break down, we could still see Spain coming out narrow winners in regular time.
These two teams share one thing in common: star power.
Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal and Achraf Hakimi all offer the Moroccans some fantastic attacking prowess, so it's hard not to see them scoring again here. Overall, they have also scored in six of their last eight matches.
As for Spain, their talent knows no bounds, with plenty of star quality scattered all over the pitch.
Alvaro Morata remains their key player, scoring three goals in just 126 minutes of action at the 2022 World Cup. That average of one goal per 42 minutes can be added here.
Finally, Spain have seen their last two World Cup games see both teams score, as well as their last pre-tournament friendly vs. Jordan, while Morocco's last match in the World Cup also saw both teams score, 2-1 against Canada.
Morocco vs Spain aviator bet
Picks: Draw at half-time, Spain at full-time
Odds: +300 (BetMGM)
Just like the other knockout matches we have seen so far in the 2022 World Cup, this game between Morocco and Spain will be another tight encounter, especially throughout the first half.
More than half of the games in this tournament have now remained goalless in the first half and we can see that happening again here.
For context, these two sides have combined so far to concede only one first-half goal through six matches, while Morocco surprised many to top their group by only one goal conceded.
If this game ends as we think it will be tight at first and then opens up more in the second half when, given the depth of Spain's quality off the bench, we expect the 2010 winners to show their quality at the right time. most.
