Spain look likelier to control territory and prevent Belgium from turning this into a high-shot chaos game: their XI has cleaner build-up through Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo, plus wide threat from Lamine Yamal and Álex Baena. Belgium still have elite transition quality with De Bruyne, Doku and Trossard, so I expect them to nick a chance, but Spain’s structure and set-piece edge should create the better volume of box entries. In a quarter-final, this feels like a tight game that opens a little late rather than a track meet, so I’m leaning Spain by a one-goal margin with both teams scoring.

Spain arrive as tournament favourites with a historic defensive record—609 minutes unbeaten, six consecutive clean sheets, 0 goals conceded in 5 matches. Their midfield (Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Dani Olmo) controls possession and compresses space; Oyarzabal (4 tournament goals) and Baena lead the attack. Belgium lost Amadou Onana (ACL) and must rely on Tielemans and Raskin as a defensive midfield pair without their primary enforcer. However, Belgium have scored 13 goals in their last five matches and demolished USA 4-1 with De Ketelaere, Vanaken, and Lukaku firing. The tactical battle hinges on Spain's possession control and high defensive line vs. Belgium's counter-pace (Doku's explosiveness, De Bruyne's playmaking, Lukaku's physicality). Spain's recent pattern: 1-0, 3-0, 1-0, 4-0, 0-0—clinical finishing from limited chances. Belgium's recent pattern: 4-1, 3-2, 5-1, 0-0, 1-1—goal-scoring depth from multiple positions. Opta's supercomputer favours Spain 58.3% but Belgium have not lost to Spain in 11 meetings (though they lost 5 of the last 5 by 13-1 aggregate—a skewed historical record). This is a tight, high-stakes knockout: Spain's control vs. Belgium's firepower. Belgium's missing Onana is critical; without him, Tielemans must cover immense ground. Spain's defensive record is historic but Belgium's counter-threat is real. Expect Spain to dominate possession but Belgium to create from transitions. Given Belgium's recent 4-1 demolition of USA and Spain's narrow 1-0 wins lately, I predict a 2-1 Spain victory: Spain scores first from sustained pressure (Oyarzabal or a set-piece threat), Belgium equalizes from a counter or set-piece, then Spain clinches late via a second-half surge or a De Bruyne error leading to a breakaway goal.

Spain's unreal defensive record (0 conceded in 5 games) meets Belgium's explosive attack (13 goals in last 5, 12 in last 3). The decisive factor is Onana's ACL absence: Raskin and Tielemans are a far less secure shield for a back four that includes two untested CBs (Mechele, Ngoy) against Spain's fluid front four. Spain's high press and half-space rotations (Olmo, Baena, Yamal) should carve through Belgium's weakened midfield base for two goals — Oyarzabal is the tournament's form striker (4 goals) and Olmo is Spain's primary second-phase arrival. Belgium get a goal through Lukaku (their consistent tournament scorer) on a De Bruyne/Doku transition that catches Spain's high line, but they can't contain Spain for 90 minutes without Onana. Even with Courtois in goal, Belgium concede 2+ here.

Spain’s possession-based control clashes with Belgium’s high-transition threat. Expect Spain to dominate territory, but Belgium’s clinical counter-attacking, led by De Bruyne, will exploit defensive gaps. Given the high-stakes nature and the offensive talent on both sides, this match will likely exceed standard goal projections due to fatigue in extra time.

Spain’s disciplined defensive structure and control in midfield will be tested by Belgium’s potent counter-attacking threat. Spain will look to dominate possession and exploit the flanks, while Belgium will rely on De Bruyne’s creativity to feed Lukaku. Expect a tight, tactical encounter where Spain's superior ball retention edges a narrow victory. Score: 2-1.

Spain have leaned on control and late-game territory, so I expect a technical 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with Rodri anchoring, Pedri and Ruiz/Olmo combining between the lines, and width from Yamal and Nico to stretch Belgium. Belgium’s best route is a compact mid-block with Courtois behind a strong back four, then direct transitions through De Bruyne, Trossard and Doku feeding Lukaku; their recent knockout form suggests they will keep the same core and prioritize experience.

The task is to predict the starting lineups for Spain (home) vs Belgium (away) in a Quarter-final match on 2026-07-10T19:00:00+00:00 at Los Angeles. First, the task is to predict starting lineups for Spain vs Belgium in a Quarter-final. I must use ONLY names from the provided squads, pick exactly 11 starters per team. But in the message, the squads are mentioned but not listed in full here. The human message says "The squads are given for Spain 26 players and Belgium 26 players." but doesn't paste them. I need to assume they are known or use search. The prompt says "You have no tools." Wait, no: "You use tools via function calls" but in the system, it says "You have no tools." Wait, looking back.

Spain has shown impressive defensive solidity and control through this tournament, conceding just one goal across five matches while demonstrating clinical finishing. Belgium has been more explosive but also porous—their 4-1 and 3-2 victories involved significant defensive vulnerabilities. Spain's midfield dominance (Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Gavi) should control possession, while their front three of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Nico Williams offer pace and creativity to break down Belgium's backline. Belgium will look to De Bruyne's creativity and Lukaku's physical presence, but face a tighter Spanish defense than the USA side they recently dismantled. I expect Spain to dictate play and secure a narrow victory.