Expert Picks

There hasn’t been a single match where I’ve walked away overly impressed by Belgium. Even in their domination of the United States, a lot of those goals came from U.S. mistakes rather than Belgium completely breaking them down. Spain, on the other hand, have yet to concede in this tournament and have looked excellent while doing it. I have a hard time believing Belgium’s back line can contain Lamine Yamal and this Spanish attack. If Spain get rolling early, they have every chance to run riot over Belgium.

Don't we have to see Spain-France in the semifinals? I'd use that to plan my next trip to the winning country instead of a coin flip. Meanwhile, is Belgium 4-1 good or is the United States simply that many years away from being a legit World Cup contender? I'd probably say 80% the latter. That was sad to watch. Also, and forgive me as I am relatively new to soccer domination, but you do have to score to win right? Spain hasn't allowed a goal in this tournament. Keeper Unai Simón has gone a WC-record 609 minutes without conceding a goal with six straight clean sheets dating to the 2022 Round of 16.

Spain should be too strong for Belgium in this game. La Roja are currently on a 36-game unbeaten streak, and they haven't conceded a single goal at this tournament. Belgium's attack is on fire, with 12 goals in their last three games, but it will be hard for them to breach this suffocating Spain defense. Belgium's defense looks vulnerable, so it will be hard for them to contain Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, and Mikel Oyarzabal, and Spain should win this game comfortably.