Spain vs. Belgium prediction: Can the Red Devils shatter Spain's World Cup dreams?

The World Cup quarterfinals continue in Los Angeles on Friday, with an all-European affair taking center stage. Forty years ago, these two nations met at the same stage of the competition in Puebla, with Belgium prevailing on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The Red Devils were beaten 2-0 by Argentina three days later, Diego Maradona scoring both at the Azteca, and their wait to feature in a first major final since Euro 1980 continues to this day.

Since that clash at Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Spain are actually unbeaten in eight encounters with Belgium, winning seven of them, including each of the last five, scoring 20 goals and conceding only four. Albeit, somewhat surprisingly, the pair have not met since a friendly in Brussels a decade ago; David Silva scoring both in a 2-0 away win.

Fair to say, the stakes are substantially higher at SoFi on Friday. Spain are the reigning European champions, naturally making them favorites in California, even if Luis de la Fuente's team are yet to be particularly impressive at this tournament to date. Thus, Belgium will believe victory is more than possible, making this a match you won't want to miss. So, ahead of the massive game, check out our complete guide, featuring kick off times, TV info, a preview and predictions.

World Cup games and predictions for Friday, July 10

Spain vs. Belgium

• Prediction: Spain 2-0 Belgium; Mikel Oyarzabal to score and Leandro Trossard 2+ chances created.
• Watchability rating: 4/5 (Worth your time)

Having won the Euros two summers ago, swatting everyone aside en route to glory in Berlin, many made Spain favorites to pick up the World Cup for the second time, 16 years on from first doing so. Well, they may still end up achieving just that, but la Roja are yet to be at their imperious best this summer. Monday's quarterfinal clash with Portugal was eagerly anticipated, but proved to be something of a disappointment. The two teams cancelled each-other out until, in stoppage time, Ferran Torres played the ball through to Mikel Merino to snatch victory right at the death.

Luis de la Fuente's team easily swatted aside Austria 3-0 in the round of 32 when last in LA, so are yet to even concede a goal, but the general zeitgeist is that this team have not discovered their peak level. So, are they growing through the tournament, or just a limited side that will get found out sooner or later? Well, this will be a tough test for Spain, who will be desperate for Lamine Yamal to provide some magic, so can la Roja reach only a third World Cup semi-final, after 1950 and 2010?

Belgium meantime were semi-finalists in 2018 but, after a disastrous group stage exit in 2022, very little was expected of this side this time round. However, following an underwhelming group phase, Rudi Garcia's team have impressed in different ways during the knockouts. The Red Devils looked dead and buried against Senegal, only to score twice in the final four minutes, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans on target to save the day, before snatching victory in the 125th minute.

Then, in Monday night's round of 16 tie, they swatted aside co-hosts United States 4-1 in Seattle, crushing American dreams. Charles De Ketelaere bagged a first half brace, before Hans Vanaken and Lukaku pounced on defensive errors to secure the win. So now, just like their opponents, Belgium are on the cusp of only a third World Cup semi-final. The Red Devils are certainly underdogs at SoFi, with most expecting Spain to be too strong, but this tie may be tougher to call than it first appears.

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