🇪🇸 Spain vs. Belgium 🇧🇪 Betting Tips

Friday 10th July – 8:00pm BST

🌍 FIFA World Cup – Quarter-Finals ⚽

🇪🇸 Spain vs. Belgium 🇧🇪

⚽️ BET BUILDER
Spain Over 5.5 Corners
Belgium Under 4.5 Corners
💷 1pt
Best Odds: 2.62 at SpreadEx

⚽️ BET 2: Spain to win to nil
💷 1.5pt
Best Odds: 2.88 at SkyBet

⚽️ BET 3: Nicolas Raskin to be booked
💷 1pt
Best Odds: 4.40 at SpreadEx

Going back to two the Spain bets that have already been profitable for us — both landing comfortably in the win over Portugal — La Roja now step into the dreaded World Cup quarter‑finals, a stage they’ve only reached once, back in the World Cup winning tournament in 2010. After grinding past Portugal 1–0 and sweeping aside Austria 3–0 in the previous knockout rounds, Spain now face Belgium, who arrived in their last match surrounded by controversy yet still overcome the hosts, the United States, with a comfortable 4–1 victory.

Spain are aiming to extend their superb run, reach the semi‑finals for just the second time in their history, and I think they’re well‑placed for another clean sheet here. Unai Simón pushed his shutout streak to 540 minutes in the win over Portugal on Monday night, and the defensive structure in front of him continues to look rock‑solid.

Five games played, zero goals conceded — the first team to achieve that at a World Cup since Italy did it as hosts in 1990. Simón has barely been tested, shielded by a back line that defends intelligently both in and out of possession. Spain’s dominance of the ball strangles opponents, limits their attacking moments, and forces them into long spells of passive defending. And that early worry after the Cape Verde draw has faded; their performances since have made that result look far more acceptable.

I am also going back to corners. Luis de la Fuente’s side have taken at least 3 more corners than their opponents in all matches, both in the group stage and in the knockouts. I expect this trend to continue against Belgium, a team likely to start with a defensive approach. Looking at the trends for both sides makes the corner Bet Builder attractive.

Belgium’s corners numbers have been inconsistent but won the corner battle in all five matches so far. They finished 5–3 against the USA, 4–1 versus Senegal, 8–5 against New Zealand, 4–2 against Iran, and 7–2 against Egypt. Spain, meanwhile, have been relentless and remarkably stable for winning corners.

On Monday they beat Portugal 7–3, and their 9–0 of Austria highlighted just how dominant they can be. They also won 6–1 against Uruguay, repeated that same 6–1 margin against Saudi Arabia, and overwhelmed Cape Verde 11–1. Spain pin opponents back for long stretches, sustain pressure, and concede very few corners at the other end.

Michael Oliver takes charge of this one, and that immediately puts Nicolas Raskin on the radar for a yellow card. The Belgian midfielder averages around 2.5 fouls per 90 minutes and more than three tackles in the tournament so far, which means he’s constantly involved in midfield battles. His disciplinary record at club level is equally telling, seeing seven cards in 31 Scottish Premiership starts last season for Rangers, and 8 in 29 the year before.

In the previous round, Oliver produced eight cards during Canada’s fiery 3–0 loss to Morocco, showing he’s not shy about clamping down when a match becomes physical. Belgium’s midfield will be under sustained pressure from Spain’s possession game, and Raskin’s role naturally forces him into repeated defensive actions, especially when Spain break lines or counter through Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

Raskin has committed three fouls in each of Belgium’s last two matches, and if that trend continues, the probability of him ending up in the Oliver’s notebook rises sharply. This matchup, combined with Oliver’s card tendencies, makes Raskin a strong candidate for a booking.

Best of luck.

Will Burns

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