Free FIFA World Cup Picks Today for Round of 16 on Tuesday, December 6th, 2022

Well, haven’t there been a few surprises so far at the World Cup! Just 16 teams remain to fight for the chance to progress to the Quarter Finals. The games will be filled with so much action as we see each country give it their all. The four teams that will be playing today include Morocco against Spain, as well as Portugal against Switzerland. 

There is so much action to be had over the Round of 16, as 16 teams fight for the chance to make it to the Quarter Finals. Which teams will put their best foot forward and make it through to the next round?

Look below to find our free soccer picks for all the games on today’s FIFA World Cup schedule!

Morocco vs Spain – 10AM ET

Morocco and Spain will go toe-to-toe for a place in the final eight. Morocco was the best team in Group E, finishing with seven points, and their three Group Stage clashes resulted in a draw and then back-to-back wins. Spain just scraped through to the Round of 16, as they finished in second place in Group E with four points, and their results so far include a win, draw and a loss.

Tony Battalio

Morocco comes into this game with a huge opportunity to advance into the Quarter Finals. They went undefeated in the Group Stage and picked up two wins in the process, as they topped Group F with relative ease. This is their first Round of 16 clash since 1986 and they have never made it further than this in their World Cup history. So an upset win over Spain would see this national team reach new heights here in 2022. They have a great opportunity to win this one and achieve that goal as well, as long as they keep up the momentum from the Group Stage games. 

Spain is an interesting team in this Round of 16 game as they just barely found themselves advancing into this round. It came down to the last day for them and they barely skated by Germany because of their goal differential. Now they will be looking to hit the reset button and go into this clash with a fresh start. They won the title 12 years ago at the 2010 World Cup and now they will be looking to keep advancing in the 2022 World Cup. However, I think it comes to an end, as I am taking Morocco to get the win. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

Morocco has been one of the revelations of the tournament. With a draw against Croatia and winning against Belgium and Canada, Morocco remains undefeated so far in the World Cup. Morocco is a disciplined, well-coached team who relies on the talents of Ziyech and Hakimi to score goals. The pair was magnificent in the Group Stage, and the question is, can they do it against much better competition? Spain started the World Cup with a bang, scoring seven goals past Costa Rica. That match got in their heads a little, and Spain has been in pedestrian mode ever since. 

A loss against Japan in the final round of the Group Stage was the culmination of it. Spain will have a lot of the ball in this matchup, and Morocco will be on the back foot from the start. Spain’s midfield trio of Busquets, Gavi, and Pedri are passing maestros who will completely dominate this game. However, they will need a moment of brilliance from the attacking players to break down the disciplined team of Morocco. Morocco will try to sit deep in a low block, rely on counter-attacks and try to exploit the speed and ability of their best player, Ziyech. If Spain can score an early goal, this will be a long day for Morocco. However, if Morocco stays focused and disciplined, and stays in the game until the 70th minute, anything can happen. The smart money is on Spain to win.

Marko Nadin

No one really believed that Morocco could get any significant success at the World Cup but what made the difference is that they definitely believed in themselves. Morocco stayed undefeated in the Group Stage finishing on top of their group over Croatia and Belgium. That speaks enough about how good and ready this team is. They have two top class players in Hakimi and Ziyech, and will definitely not back down in the game against Spain. The 2010 champions have a much younger team compared to the previous appearances on the world’s biggest stage. They started strongly, scoring seven goals in the opener but then all their weaknesses came into sight. 

Spain is coming off a loss to Japan in the last game of the Group Stage and even though they are the favorites to win this game, things will not go so smoothly. Morocco is a tough team that allowed only one goal in the Group Stage and knows how to defend. Spain will not go in full offensive mode knowing that Morocco can punish them if they open up. This will be a tough, slow and long game that will see no more than two goals in regulation and maybe will bring us the first upset in the knockout stage.

Portugal vs Switzerland – 2PM ET

Portugal and Switzerland will fight for the right to enter the Quarter Finals. Portugal was top of Group H with six points, and this included two wins and a loss in their first three games of the Group Stage. Switzerland finished with six points, which was good enough for second place in Group G, and their results so far have consisted of a win, a loss, then another win.

Tony Battalio

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will be looking to advance to the Quarter Finals of the 2022 World Cup with a win against a very tough Switzerland side in this game. Portugal looked good throughout their first two Group Stage games but lost in the third, like many of the other top teams who rested their main core of guys in the last game. Portugal should have the upperhand in this one, but it will be tough to count out Switzerland in this game. 

The Swiss are a darkhorse to bring home the 2022 World Cup, but first they will have to get past this tough test in Portugal and Ronaldo. They had an identical record to Portugal in the Group Stage and now they will be looking to book a trip to the Quarter Finals with another win in this game. They haven’t advanced to the Quarter Finals since 1954 when they hosted the World Cup for the first and only time. However, I think they will get the first upset of the Round of 16 and advance to the final eight to play the winner of Spain and Morocco.  

Aleksandar Ricliev

Portugal has not lived up to its potential so far in the competition. On paper, Portugal is an absolute soccer powerhouse. Manchester United’s Ronaldo, Fernandes, Dalot, as well as Manchester City’s Dias, Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva are only a few of the key players in this team. If everything clicks, I can see Portugal winning the World Cup. Ronaldo has been under a colossal media firestorm in the last few months. Their manager has also taken a lot of criticism about his conservative playing style and in-game decisions. Can they tune the noise out and focus only on soccer? 

Switzerland is a hardened, battle-tested side. They have been playing together for a while and have managed to upset a lot of teams. In the 2020 European Championship, they sent the reigning World Champions, France, out of the competition. Xhaka and Shaqiri remain Switzerland’s leaders and best players, along with the emergence and growth of Embolo, it gives them another option in attack. This game will be a hard battle in the middle of the field, and whoever team wins that, will more than likely win the game. I expect Bernardo Silva to put in another stunning performance and put his team through to the Quarter Finals. It might take extra time or penalties, but Portugal goes through. 

Marko Nadin

This will be probably one of the most interesting matchups in the Round of 16. Portugal and Switzerland are two tough teams that know each other very well, as they played twice before this year. Both teams won one of those games which speaks that anything is possible in this game. Portugal started strong in the competition booking their spot in the top 16 after two games, while Switzerland had to fight to the last game to advance. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is now focused on the football pitch and he will be the player that once again will make the difference. He is surrounded by great players which makes his job way easier. Switzerland will of course try to defend him well, but Ronaldo and Portugal know how to take advantage of that. Portugal will have the majority of the possession and will dictate the pace in this game. That will lead to a couple of goals and an easy Portugal win.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.