Chris Sutton's World Cup quarter-final predictions

Four more teams will be eliminated after the World Cup quarter-finals, but which four will advance to the semi-finals? BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton performed well in the round of 16, with only Switzerland's penalty shootout victory over Colombia catching him out. The AI predictor struggled, incorrectly forecasting Brazil's defeat of Norway and the USA's elimination by Belgium. Users of the BBC's predictor game also managed only 6/8 correct results in the last 16, but with 96 of 104 matches completed, they lead overall with 68 correct predictions (71%), compared to Chris and AI's 61 (64%).

Thursday, 9 July: France vs Morocco

Venue: Boston / Kick-off: 21:00 BST

Chris Sutton acknowledges that this World Cup has been full of surprises, but he sticks with the favorites. "I have backed France to win this World Cup from the start, and I am not going to change my mind now," he said. While Morocco are capable of beating France, Sutton notes they have not played well for a full 90 minutes in the tournament. "They were really poor in the first half against Canada in the last 16 and looked really lethargic. They are a team who have spells in games where they look a real force, but if they start like that again this time, then they will be in big trouble."

Morocco's key forward Ismael Saibari is injured, which Sutton believes is a significant blow. "I am not really sure if they can hurt France without him up front." France showed character in their last-16 win over Paraguay, with substitute Desire Doue making an impact. "We saw some real character from France to stay calm in the face of provocation, and we already knew about their quality. Desire Doue came off the bench to make a difference, which shows the strength they have." Sutton predicts a 2-1 win for France, matching the AI's prediction. AI responded to Sutton's criticism that it only picks obvious scores: "The aim isn't to be surprising, Chris. The aim is to be right."

Friday, 10 July: Spain vs Belgium

Venue: Los Angeles / Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Sutton felt Spain were "miles off it in the final third" against Portugal in the last 16, partly because Lamine Yamal struggled against Nuno Mendes. Mikel Oyarzabal missed an early chance, and Spain only improved after substitutes Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino combined for the winner. Despite their attacking struggles, Spain have not conceded a goal in the tournament. "My prediction here is really based on me thinking they cannot be as bad in attack again," Sutton said.

Belgium convincingly beat the USA in the last 16, but Sutton questions whether that was due to the USA's poor performance. "It's hard to read much into that because I am not really sure if it was down to how bad the USA were on the day. Spain are obviously a much harder test anyway." Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana is injured, which Sutton sees as a blow. "I just feel like Spain will dominate the ball and Belgium will have to play on the counter-attack. Will they hurt Spain? No. Will they be the first team to score against them? Another no, I'm afraid."