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SPAIN VS BELGIUM LIVE TODAY AT 3PM ET: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE WORLD CUP’S STRONGEST DEFENSE AND ONE OF ITS MOST FEARED ATTACKS

The second of the World Cup quarter-finals kicks off just hours from now at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and the tactical battle promises to be the most interesting clash of the entire tournament. Here is the ultimate pre-match preview ahead of the 3PM ET kick-off.

Spain have arrived at this World Cup quarter-final having established themselves as the most defensively resolute team in the history of the tournament. Unbeaten, 0 goals conceded across 6 matches and 6 clean sheets. Their record goalkeeper Unai Simon has now not conceded a single goal for a record 609 minutes of World Cup action and in this run La Roja have registered dominant victories – 4-0 against Saudi Arabia, 3-0 against Austria, 1-0 against Portugal. They’ve cruised through every required victory while shutting teams down like no team before them in the process. Rodri is bossing the midfield with dictatorial authority, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal offer consistent width and threat, and La Liga leading goalscorer Mikel Oyarzabal tops the tournament’s individual goal chart with 5.

Belgium have taken a radically different route. Three frustrating draws in their group stages and they’ve really had to dig deep to progress in the knockout stage with two big results. They edged out a Senegal side on penalties in the Round of 32 in an exciting 3-2 extra time battle.

The Red Devils then produced a dominant 4-1 victory over the United States last time out in a display that recalled the devastating power of Belgium’s golden generation.

Kevin De Bruyne feeding Romelu Lukaku through the lines when these two are ‘on’ is probably the most dangerous forward-midfielder combination still alive in the competition. The absence of Amadou Onana through injury represents a major concern for Belgium and represents a potentially exploitable weakness in midfield which Spain’s intricate passing game is tailor-made to punish.

This match is steeped in history. The last time these two nations clashed at a World Cup was the 1986 quarter-final in Mexico where Belgium inflicted an unexpected penalty shootout exit on Spain in one of the most dramatic upsets of that World Cup tournament. Belgium have often referenced that match for motivation and while they have been a force for decades, they historically have not held a great record against Spain outside of that specific encounter in competitive fixtures, having won many qualifiers with scores of 2-0 and a memorable 5-0 result in a previous qualification cycle. The ghost of 1986 however lingers over this one.

The tactical crux of this game comes down to the midfield battle between Rodri and De Bruyne. Everything Spain does runs through Rodri in front of their defense. Belgium are set up with De Bruyne given a huge amount of freedom between the lines and between the Spaniard’s midfield and defensive blocks. Whoever comes out on top between those two players is likely to win this game.

Looking at the markets, it's no surprise that Spain are strong favorites. They can be backed at odds of -160 for 90 minutes and are -320 to qualify. The draw is priced at +290 and the Belgians are +425. Our prediction models suggest a 62-65% chance of a Spanish 90 minute win – again, this lines up perfectly with the betting markets.

For a specific betting angle, Spain to win in 90 minutes at -160 represents great value. I also think there is some value in Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal to score anytime at +120. He’s on fire in this tournament and has shown he’s capable of finding the net. Given Spain’s historical ability to keep a clean sheet at this tournament, the under 2.5 goals line at +100 offers value.

My prediction for the Spain vs Belgium match: Spain 2-0 Belgium. I see Oyarzabal scoring and likely in a controlled low scoring affair as Yamal taps in a second late on for their 7th straight clean sheet as Spain progress to the semi finals.

Belgium will definitely put them under pressure at times as they are more than capable but ultimately, this Spanish defense simply cannot be broken.

Will Spain's stunning run continue with a 7th successive clean sheet, or can Kevin De Bruyne produce another moment of brilliance to break Spain and avenge the Ghosts of 1986 - drop your predictions in the replies!
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