Morocco is spending the World Cup like a dream. For the first time, the African team is playing in the quarterfinals at the World Cup stage. Portugal, who have never been able to play a final in a global tournament, are also in great form. These two teams are going to meet in the last eight of FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022. The whole world is waiting for a very enjoyable match between Portugal and Morocco in the quarter-finals. Let’s take a look at the Morocco vs Portugal Quarter-final match preview and where they are standing.
Morocco vs Portugal: Head-to-Head Record So Far
Before this, Morocco and Portugal met twice in the World Cup. The country of Arab heritage beat Portugal 3-1 in the 1986 World Cup. And in the last 2018 Russia World Cup, Portugal defeated Morocco by 1-0. Cristiano Ronaldo's only goal gave Portugal a win in that match. This time Portugal and Morocco are meeting in the quarterfinal!
Where is the Venue of Morocco vs Portugal Match?
Portugal and Morocco will meet in the fight to reach the semi-finals. The match starts at 9 pm Bangladesh time at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Quarter Final Overview
Morocco's performance So Far in the 2022 World Cup
Morocco debuted in the 1970 World Cup. In 1986, they became the first African country to pass the group stage of the World Cup. Morocco's last win in the World Cup was in 1998 against Scotland, and after that, they got their win in this World Cup against Belgium in the group stage.
In the round of sixteen, Morocco defeated the former world champion Spain in a tiebreaker and made it to the quarter-finals. They are the first Arab country to reach the last eight of the World Cup.
Walid Regragui is the first Arab coach to take a team to the knockout stages. He took charge of Morocco last September. The undefeated African team has played seven matches so far under his coaching. After drawing with Croatia in the group stage, they defeated Belgium and Canada, who were among the favorites of the tournament. That is why they are also called the dark horse of this World Cup.
They have only conceded one goal so far, which was against Canada in the last match of the World Cup group stage.
So far, the opposition has not been able to send the ball into the Moroccan net. Their only goal in four matches was a 2–1 loss against Canada in the group stage. The own goal was scored by defender Nayef Aguerd.
Morocco's players to watch:
Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat.
Morocco's players carrying yellow cards:
Abdelhamid Sabiri, Romain Saiss, Sofyan Amrabat.
Read More: England vs France Quarter-final Preview: FIFA World Cup 2022
Portugal's Performance So Far in the 2022 World Cup
2016 Euro champions Portugal have never reached a World Cup final so far. Their debut on the world stage was in 1966. The team gave a great performance in the first season itself. They beat champions Brazil 3-1 and eliminated them from the group stage. They won all three matches and qualified for the next round. Portugal played in the semi-final in the same event.
However, their journey ended with a 2-1 loss against England. After defeating the Soviet Union 2-1, the Portuguese finished third in the tournament. Which is their best success in the World Cup so far. They played in the semi-final in 2006 as well.
On the other hand, Portugal started their World Cup journey by defeating Ghana 3-2 in the first match of the group stage. Then they beat the former world champion Uruguay 2-0. However, despite losing 2-1 to South Korea in the last match, the Portuguese reached the knockout stage as group champions.
And Portugal showed world-class football in the round of 16 games against Switzerland. Portugal's 21-year-old forward Gonzalo Ramos scored the first hat-trick in the current season. He achieved this in a knockout stage match, in which Portugal beat Switzerland by 6-1. The Benfica forward became the first player since Germany's Miroslav Klose in 2002 to score a hat-trick in the starting XI for the first time in the World Cup.
Scoring a goal will make Cristiano Ronaldo the all-time leading scorer for Portugal on the world stage. Currently, this record is held by Eusebio, he scored 9 goals in the World Cup, and he scored all in the 1966 tournament. It was his only World Cup appearance.
Pepe scored a goal in an easy win over Switzerland. This Portuguese defender made history by scoring the goal at the age of 39 years and 283 days. He now holds the record for the oldest goal scorer in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Portugal has no injury report for the quarter-final game. It means the Portuguese will begin the game with full force.
Portugal's players to watch:
Gonzalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Dias.
Portugal's players carrying yellow cards:
Danilo Pereira, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Neves, Joao Felix, Ruben Dias.
Read More: Ronaldo did not threaten to leave World Cup: Portugal coach
Squad of Morocco and Portugal in the Quarter-final Match
Probable starting squad of Morocco
Bounou, Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui, Amrabat, Amallah, Ounahi, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Probable starting squad of Portugal
Costa, Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro, Neves, Otavio, Silva, Fernandes, Felix, Ramos
Quarterfinal Morocco vs Portugal match Result Prediction
Although Portugal is the favorite in this match, Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou will be an obstacle to them. According to Opta Analyst's data, Portugal has a 55.8% chance to win in the 90 minutes, while Morocco has an 18.8% chance. If the game reaches a penalty shootout, Morocco has a 25.4% chance of winning.
Final Words
Both sides have the technical ability and quality to make it an exciting and unpredictable game. Morocco has a consistent recent record in this World Cup. However, with Ramos on the side, Portugal will be tough to beat. Hence, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarterfinal’s Morocco vs Portugal match will be a close game.