PREVIEW: World Cup – Round of 16 – Morocco v Spain

Ignore Morocco’s chances at your own risk! They have not lost any of their last four World Cup games and have deserved every result. They are not afraid of scoring goals and have found plenty appeal when going forward.

Morocco was able to finish on top of Group F after their unblemished performances, but the reality is the only expectation they have now is a meeting with Spain for a place in the final eight.

Morocco can garner some confidence from the fact that Spain have stuttered against both Germany and Japan, as well as the fact that the last time these sides met (Russia 2018) they played out to a 2-2 draw. Morocco seems to have grown into the tournament, building confidence as they go – I certainly wouldn’t be in a hurry to overlook them.

Spain have proved before that they do not need stellar group stage performances to lift the World Cup! No, they haven’t hit their straps so far – but their quality remains undeniable. The sort of football that is intrinsic to this Spanish side is beautiful, and every fan can surely appreciate it, but that hasn’t necessarily guaranteed positive results.

The Spanish have scored in 24 consecutive games and will then surely be a difficult to shut down for the entire 90 minutes. The likes of Alvaro Morata – who have scored in all three games so far – poses a real threat of course, but is this also possible Achilles heel?

The fact that Spain can at times be so reliant on single players is as much a worry as it is a strength, and I’m sure Luis Enrique will hope his side start to fire on all cylinders in the business end of this competition.