Spain control their fate in Group B, as they need just one more point to secure themselves of a spot in the next round. They could get that against the demoralized Morocco side, which is now eliminated from World Cup title contention following a defeat at the hands of Portugal. Will the Spain conclude their group stage campaign with a win? Or will Morocco pack their bags with a victory of their own?
Spain continue to enjoy their place on top of Group B following a 1-0 win over the gritty Iran side on Wednesday. Spain did not give Iran plenty of chances to score, as they dominated the possession battle, keeping control of the ball 70 percent of the time. They also launched 17 shots on goal compared to just five of Iran. That said, there were some gaps in their defense that Iran nearly exploited to the hilt. Thankfully for Spain, all five shots of Iran went off the target. Diego Costa once again found the back of the net for his team. He now has three goals in the tournament with two coming from his brace in a 3-3 draw with Portugal in the opener. One key for Spain against Morocco is to not underestimate their opponents. The Lions of Atlas are eliminated, but they are looking to hurt their other groupmates chances of advancing. A loss here by Spain and a win by Iran could complicate matters for La Roja.
Betting on Morocco (+900)
After falling prey to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 on Wednesday, all Morocco want now is to just get a win. As mentioned above, the Lions of Atlas have been effectively taken out of the running for a seat in the next round after failing to record a win in any of their first two outings. They have yet to score a goal in Russia, so that’s something that’ll keep them motivated even though they’re practically playing for nothing this Monday. Morocco actually had plenty of chances to score versus Portugal, but just could not finish. They had 16 attempts on goal with four on-target shots. Mehdi Benatia and Hakim Ziyech each had four shots but failed to convert on any of those attempts. It’s a disappointing World Cup campaign for Morocco, but they could still end their trip to Russia on a positive note.
