Expert Picks

This is the kind of match for Spain where you make a statement. Spain are one of the joint favorites to win it all, and a big reason is their ruthlessness. It doesn't matter if they're playing Cape Verde, Germany, or France, they are going to press and they are going to fight for 90 minutes. They have one of the best midfields in the competition only behind Portugal, and their attack rivals any other team in the world. I expect Spain to use this match as a chance to send a warning to every other team as they run up the score. You don't want to mess with Spain.

I would like to apologize to all our Cape Verde fans out there. You are all in for a brutal first match in your World Cup campaign. Spain is the joint favorites to win the World Cup alongside France, and are favored to have the most goals scored in the World Cup. Just look at this squad. They are world-class from front to back. Even if this squad rotates, I have them winning this by 3+ goals. Mike Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres are going to run over this group, and when Lamine Yamal is fit, expect him to run rampant as well. Spain might win this by 5+ goals.

Spain should cruise to victory over Cape Verde in their World Cup opener. The reigning European champions are on a 34-game unbeaten streak, and they’re the outright favorites to win this tournament with most sportsbooks. They have a world-class midfield, featuring the likes of Rodri and Pedri, so they should dominate possession in this game. Manager Luis de la Fuente says that star forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams should also be fit for this game, so La Roja should have far too much firepower for Cape Verde to handle.