FIFA World Cup: Morocco vs Portugal, Preview and prediction
The final two quarter-final matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will take place on Saturday, December 10, 2022. Morocco and Portugal will square off in the opening game at 20:30 IST/19:00 GST. Al Thumama Stadium is where the game will take place
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Image credit: SALive Image Portugal : An uneasy camp with Cristiano Ronaldo the focus.The majority of fans were anticipating an all-Iberian quarter-final, but Morocco had other plans and forced Spain to lose on penalties twice in a row to end up in the last 16.
Spain were disorganised and lacking in creativity. Their ultimate hero was the goalkeeper Bono, who turned aside two of Spain's three missed penalty attempts. Achraf Hakimi's decisive Panenka finish was the cherry on top that put Moroccan supporters to sleep.
Meanwhile, Portugal made a statement of purpose by completely dominating a befuddled Switzerland side 6-1.
Fernando Santos' decision to bench Ronaldo was major news, but it was swiftly validated when his replacement, 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos, helped himself to the tournament's first hat-trick, hinting at a changing of the guard inside the Portuguese camp.
Switzerland were bad, but that does not diminish Portugal's performance, which was one of the greatest in Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo's presence — or absence — on the field on Saturday may make or break the game. However, it is unclear yet if the Portuguese skipper would play against Morocco after being benched against Switzerland in the last 16.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Portugal meets Morocco 🍿 <br><br>The Quarter-Finals are set 🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qatar2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Qatar2022</a></p>— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1600243151184224273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Both teams will be looking to build on their respective last-16 performances, but Portugal's exciting flair is unlikely to be given the same tolerance as the Swiss.
Morocco's game is based on defence, hard work, and team spirit, and they will try to stop Portuguese attacks at the source. The key will be whether Morocco go behind, which hasn't happened before (they've only conceded one goal, and it was an own goal) and whether Portugal scores first.
If Portugal scores first, the game may become more open, with more chances at both ends.
Predicted lineup
Morocco: Bounou, Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui, Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Portugal lineup: Costa, Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro, B. Silva, Carvalho, Otavio, Fernandes, Ramos, Felix.
