Does the defending champion start with a clear victory?

The list of favorites or insider tips at this World Cup is long. Of course, the defending champions from Spain are also high up on the list. The Iberians get into the action for the first time on Saturday and will almost certainly claim an emphatic victory in their opener at Jakarta’s Indonesia Arena. We check in our Spain vs. Côte d’Ivoire tip whether the world champions might run into problems after all.

It would be tantamount to a sensation if the Spanish selection did not prevail in this Group G without losing any points. The Ivory Coast should be no more than a sparring partner. Perhaps it will be a little tougher against Iran and Brazil afterwards, but there should be no real stumbling block for the world champions.

Coach Sergio Scariolo can build up his team carefully in the group stage. In the main round, however, when France and Canada are two tough opponents, things will get interesting for the Iberians. Their opponents from Africa, on the other hand, are among the big underdogs at this tournament. We’re hardly going out on a limb to make a clear prediction of a European victory between Spain and Côte d’Ivoire.

For the Elephants, it would already be terrific if they could get past the preliminary round. For that, they have to be on top of their game in the next two matches. Against the Spaniards there will be nothing to harvest.

Spain – statistics & current form

When you think about the fact that Spain are the reigning world champions, reigning European champions and number one in the world rankings, the Iberians should be the top favorites at this World Cup. Coach Sergio Scariolo, however, sees things a bit differently. He sees his team more in the quarter-final range and that is exactly the minimum goal the Spaniards have set for this tournament.

Defender of the title in the preparation with problems

His assessment could be related to the fact that there have already been three defeats this year. First, in February, the world champion lost to Italy. In the preparation for the World Cup there were also the bankruptcies against the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, we know what the Iberians are capable of and that’s why, ahead of the World Cup kick-off between Spain and Ivory Coast, we’re also looking at the odds that are being offered for the title defense.

After all, there were also positive aspects in the preparation. There were victories against Venezuela, against the strong Slovenians and also against the Dominican Republic in the dress rehearsal. However, these were not as clear-cut as one might have expected, especially against the outsiders. Therefore, one should not expect too much of a handicap victory on Saturday against the Elephants.

The Spanish squad has a somewhat different look compared to last year’s European Championship. Five new people are in the lineup. The Hernangomez brothers and, above all, Rudy Fernandez are experienced players. In addition, there are the two super talents Usman Garuba and Santi Aldama. Special attention will certainly be paid to Juan Nunez, who is only 19 years old and is under contract with German champion Ratiopharm Ulm.

Predicted lineup of Spain:
Diaz, Llull, Abrines, Brizuela, Parra, Fernandez, Claver, Aldama, Garuba, W. Hernangomez, J. Hernangomez, Nunez – Coach: Scariolo

Ivory Coast – Statistics & current form

For Ignacio Lezkano, the World Cup opener would have been very exciting. However, the Spanish interim coach had to pack his bags during qualifying and was replaced by his predecessor, Slovenia’s Dejan Prokic. The latter had to retire for a longer period of time after covid illness twice, but managed to lead the Elephants to the World Cup and wants to make a splash with his team there.

The second World Cup victory should come here

The team from the Ivory Coast does not have big goals at the World Cup. This is the fifth time the Africans have taken part in a World Cup and they have only managed a single victory from 20 games. Another success is now expected in Indonesia, but we assume that between Spain and Ivory Coast the forecast will have nothing to do with a victory of the elephants.

In the preparation it did not go badly at all for the runner-up of the African Championship. Among other things, there were victories against the European teams from the Czech Republic and Portugal. They also defeated the World Cup participants from Lebanon. However, the dress rehearsal against the Philippines was a complete disaster, with a clear 62-85 defeat.

The Elephants’ squad consists of largely unknown players. Bazoumana Kone is known in Germany, but he plays in a lower class in Karlsruhe. Vafessa Fofana is certainly interesting, as he was the only player to play in qualifying matches and played his part in making Dejan Prokic’s team the first African team to punch its ticket to the World Cup.

Predicted lineup of Ivory Coast:
Diabate, Moulare, Kone, V. Fofana, Zouzoua, Dadiet, M. Fofana, Abouo, Dally, Bah, Sidipe, Pape – Coach: Prokic

Spain – Côte d’Ivoire Direct comparison / H2H record

Spain have previously used test matches against Ivory Coast to prepare for major tournaments. That was the case in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and there was also a clash between these two teams in preparation ahead of the 2019 World Cup in China. However, until today, these were the only two encounters between these two basketball teams.

Unsurprisingly, the reigning world champion clearly won both matches. In 2016, the Spaniards won 100:61 with a whopping 39-point difference. Four years ago it was much closer, but still a clear affair, when the Iberians prevailed 79:62, still with a 17-point difference.

Spain – Ivory Coast tip

In basketball, however, it is always such a thing with too high handicaps. If the world champion leads early, the second guard will get more time. In addition, they like to take it down a notch or two to save energy, which makes the defense a bit more spotty.

That’s why it’s difficult to bet on a handicap win with a difference of more than 20 points between Spain and the Ivory Coast, even though that would certainly be possible in this match if the Spaniards were to play with high concentration and motivation over the full distance. However, we still think that a lot of baskets will be shot.

It is definitely conceivable that more than 152.5 points will be scored. Of course, the majority of these points should go to the account of the world champion. And so we end up with a bet that, from our point of view, contains a very decent value. We have decided to play the betting odds on a Spanish victory and a total of more than 152.5 points between Spain and the Ivory Coast