Morocco vs Portugal Prediction – 2022 World Cup: Who Will Win?

Morocco vs Portugal Preview

Fans of football in the United Kingdom may watch this Quarterfinal game between Portugal and Morocco live on BBC 1 or ITV 1. As of right now, the schedule hasn't been made public, so be sure to check the TV schedule on Friday to find out which station it will be on on Saturday afternoon. To fully experience the incredible atmosphere, we advise you to tune into the channel around 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

Therefore, how did Morocco and Portugal go about securing a place in the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022?

Morocco:

• Round of 16: Morocco 0 Spain 0 after extra-time with Morocco winning 3-0 on penalties

Portugal:

• Round of 16: Portugal 6 Switzerland 1

🏠 Morocco Form and Team News

Morocco knew that a victory over Belgium in their second group match would go a long way toward helping them secure a place in the Round of 16. The North Africans absolutely outperformed Belgium, winning 2-0 and increasing their lead to four points out of a potential six. They knew that a point against Canada in their last group match would be sufficient to secure qualification. They ultimately prevailed 2-1 to take first position, with Croatia taking second and Belgium being eliminated.

With two victories and a tie from their three group games, Morocco finished first in their group, as shown in the first table above. Morocco was undoubtedly the Group Stage's biggest surprise, as few football betting enthusiasts expected the squad from North Africa to win a group that also included Belgium and Croatia. Even though the game was far more interesting than many past 0-0 games, Morocco's opening matchup in the group against Croatia ended in a tie.

Although Morocco entered their Round of 16 encounter against Spain as the underdogs, the Spanish knew they could not afford to underestimate them following their victory over Belgium. With only one goal allowed throughout the Group Stage, Morocco's defense is their greatest asset, and they once again displayed this strength by holding a quality Spain team at bay for the whole 120 minutes. They even had a few opportunities to score on the break, but Unai Simon, the Spanish goalkeeper, maintained focus to keep Spain level. When the game went to penalties, many would have bet on Spain to win, but because of their terrible penalties (which were even worse than Japan's the night before), Morocco won 3-0, sending their supporters into a fantasy world.

Walid Regragui, the manager of Morocco, may have to deal with Romain Saiss' injury, but aside from that, his team should be fully fit for this game against Portugal. There are no suspensions for this Quarter-Final match, however A. Sabiri, S. Amrabat, and R. Saiss have all received yellow cards up to this point, thus if they receive a booking against Portugal in the Quarter-Final, they will not be able to participate in the Semi-Final if they advance.

Morocco Starting Lineup

Prior to the commencement of this tournament, Morocco's squad did not include many well-known figures, but it is fair to say that they have made significant progress in reversing this over the last several weeks. Whatever happens in this game against Portugal, the Moroccan team has represented themselves and their nation well. Morocco used a 4-3-3 configuration against Spain, and since it performed admirably against the Spanish, we wouldn't be shocked if they choose to utilize it again against a great Portugal squad.

We also believe Regragui will choose to start with the same lineup as against Spain, barring Saiss' injury, which would knock him out. As a result, bearing this in mind, the starting lineup for Morocco versus Portugal on December 10 is as follows:

• Bono
• A. Hakimi
• N. Aguerd
• R. Saiss
• N. Mazraoui
• A. Ounahi
• S. Amrabat
• A. Sabiri
• H. Ziyech
• Y. En-Nesyri
• S. Boufal

It is fair to argue that Morocco does not have the same level of squad depth as the other teams still in this competition. They do, however, have a strong desire to support one another and play as a team, and this can be quite helpful in events like the FIFA World Cup.

⭐ Morocco Players to Watch

Despite the fact that the majority of the Moroccan players were relatively unknown prior to this tournament, they still have a number of talented players in their lineup. The following are three Moroccan players to watch when they face Portugal on Saturday.

• Achraf Hakimi: Even though he is just 24 years old, his experience playing for Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, and now Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 gives you a sense of exactly how great he is. The full-back possesses outstanding attacking ability as seen by the fact that he has scored 8 goals for his country and the power and quickness to stop threatening advances. Additionally, as seen after his penalty against Spain, he maintains composure under pressure.
• Hakim Ziyech: There is little doubt that the Chelsea midfielder is one of the stars of this Moroccan team, despite his recent struggles in the English Premier League. When he performs at his peak, he is capable of giving even the greatest defenders in the world a lot of trouble. We are interested in watching how much damage he can cause on Saturday if the Portuguese defence give him any room to manoeuvre.
• Sofiane Boufal: The 29-year-old had the option of playing for France, but Morocco and its supporters will be happy that he chose to do so. He has been one of Morocco's top players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and when the next transfer window opens, a number of teams may be vying for his services. He can outrun opponents thanks to his technical skill, and when given the chance, he also has a good eye for goal. We are eager to watch him this weekend as he faces a formidable Portuguese defence.

☍ Portugal Form and Team News

As you can see from the second chart we provided you with above, Portugal is a favourite to win the World Cup in football in 2022, according to numerous forecasts. would have anticipated, and though not many people probably envisaged them dropping a game, they finished first in their group. However, at that point, they had already advanced to the Round of 16, thus this could have contributed in some way to their loss.

They played against Ghana in their opening encounter of the campaign, which was quite interesting, and they won 3-2. Even though a late goal from Ghana made things more stressful than Portugal would have wanted, they were able to cling on and earn three significant points. They faced Uruguay in their second match of the campaign, and thanks to a straightforward 2-0 victory, they were able to secure a ticket in the knockout rounds with one game remaining. As a result, they knew going into their last game against South Korea that losing would not be the end of the world. As it turned out, they lost 2-1, which meant that South Korea advanced to face Brazil instead of Uruguay.

They faced a potentially difficult matchup against Switzerland in their Round of 16 game, but the Swiss simply did not show up, and Portugal ran away with the game, winning by a score of 6-1. Before the game, there was much speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo being benched, but his replacement, G. Ramos, a 21-year-old rookie, stunned everyone by going out and scoring a hat-trick and making the night all about him. Ronaldo has not scored a goal in over 600 minutes of World Cup knockout action, whereas the young Benfica player currently has three, so it is something he can speak about for a long.

There are no new injuries for Portugal's manager Fernando Santos to worry about ahead of their Quarterfinal match, but if any of B. Fernandes, D. Pereira, R. Neves, R. Dias, or J. Felix receive a booking against Morocco, they might miss either England's or France's Semifinal matchup. For Santos, everyone of these individuals is a key player, therefore he will be praying they do not receive a ban.

Portugal Starting Lineup

Due to the fact that many of their players compete in prestigious leagues like the Serie A, Bundesliga, and English Premier League, the Portugal team is made up of players who are well-known in homes all across Europe. Santos used a 4-3-3 configuration in their game against the Swiss, and he has preferred this formation throughout the campaign, so we don't see why he would choose to switch it up for this next encounter. In addition, we believe he will start with the same starting lineup as against the Swiss, so here is how we anticipate them to lineup:

• D. Costa
• D. Dalot
• R. Dias
• Pepe
• R. Guerreiro
• B. Silva
• Otávio
• W. Carvalho
• B. Fernandes
• G. Ramos
• J. Felix

It is reasonable to assume that Santos has a talented bench he can draw from if this starting XI isn't performing to his standards. R. Leo, J. Cancelo, A. Silva, J. Mário, and C. Ronaldo are a few examples. Portugal actually has the depth in their team to get through the quarterfinals.

⭐ Portugal Players to Watch

Given how talented the Portugal team is, it is difficult to choose out three individuals for you to keep an eye on. We did our best, though, and have listed three players for Portugal to watch out for when they face Morocco in the quarterfinals.

• Bruno Fernandes: The Manchester United midfielder has the bothersome tendency of complaining to the referees when things don't go his way, but there's no denying that he's a key player for both his club and country. He has excellent passing range and is highly technically skilled, which helps him keep the midfield moving. Additionally, he is aware of where the net's back is.
• Gonçalo Ramos: There was much discussion prior to the Round of 16 game against Switzerland regarding the 21-year-old starting ahead of Ronaldo, but Ramos' first hat-trick of the World Cup helped to support Santos' decision to bench his talisman. It will be fascinating to watch Ramos, who seems to be a star in the making, perform against a tough and unyielding Moroccan defence.
• Cristiano Ronaldo: Given Ramos' heroics in the last game, there is a very strong probability that Ronaldo will start this one on the sidelines, but it is extremely possible that he will come in at some point. We will be interested to see if he can break his goalless streak in the World Cup knockout rounds when he finally does so; he has over 600 minutes of World Cup knockout football under his belt and has yet to score. Not many people will believe this statistic, but it is accurate.

💯Morocco vs Portugal Betting Odds

Giving our clients the best WC 2022 betting odds is something we at Mybettingsite love to do because we believe that every single one of our customers should have the opportunity to gain the most out of their hard-earned money. Our promise to you is that you will always be able to get good odds for any market that you prefer to bet on for the World Cup. We've provided you with the odds for a few popular markets in the three tables below because the bulk of our football bettors like to wager on well-liked markets such as match winner and over/under goals:

⚡ Match Winner

Morocco to Win	5.50	5.80	6.00	5.50
Portugal to Win	1.67	1.62	1.67	1.67
Draw	3.60	3.70	3.75	3.50

🔥 Both Teams to Score

Yes	2.10	2.05	2.05	2.10
No	1.67	1.67	1.67	1.67

🥅 Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Over 2.5 Goals	2.20	2.10	2.10	2.15
Under 2.5 Goals	1.67	1.67	1.67	1.62

🥇 Who Will Win? Morocco vs Portugal Prediction

Who would we bet on to win if we were placing our own online sports wagers for this Round of 16 matchup between Morocco and Portugal? Portugal are the overwhelming favourites to go to the semifinals going into this match, but Morocco has demonstrated throughout the campaign that their defence is not one that gives up easy. Portugal will likely control the most of the ball, but it remains to be seen if they can get past a tenacious Moroccan defence. If we were placing World Cup wagers on this game, we would wager on a tie at the end of regulation time and for Portugal to win in overtime.

Our match prediction: Draw - Portugal to win in extra-time

🔍 Our Morocco vs Portugal Betting Tips?

What other World Cup predictions can we provide our bettors for this game? As a result, we believe you should look at the under 2.5 goals betting market if you do not want to bet on Portugal to win in overtime. This is because we believe Morocco's defence will keep the score low. If there were more than two goals in the full 90 minutes, we would be quite astonished.

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Morocco vs Portugal FAQ