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FIFA WC 2022 | Morocco vs Portugal Preview & prediction | H2H Record | line-up
Portugal’s new era has been nothing short of a sensation as they search for a place in the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they take on Morocco.
Portugal who blew away Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16 will be targeting their first semifinal of the tournament since 2006. On the horizon, Morocco could create history and become the first African nation to reach the last four of the World Cup if they beat Portugal on Saturday (December 10).
Morocco vs Portugal Head to Head
The only meetings between the sides have come in the group stages of the World Cup having met in the previous edition in Russia, four years ago. A Cristiano Ronaldo goal saw the European side run out 1-0 winners and would later progress to the last 16 alongside Spain from their group. Four years on from that meeting, plenty of water has gone underneath the bridge as Morocco are enjoying its golden generation that could pave way for history.
The first and only other meeting however went the way of the African side as they won by 3-1 in the 1986 World cup, which also happened to be the last time they qualified for the knockout stage. Interestingly, the team they lost to was West Germany who later went on to play in the final of the World Cup.
Morocco vs Portugal Head to Head
| Date | Match | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 1986 | Portugal v Morocco | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup |
| 20 Jun 2018 | Portugal v Morocco | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup |
FIFA World Cup 2022 so far
Morocco started their World Cup group campaign with a goalless draw against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia. Expected to finish outside the top two, the African side stunned Belgium by winning 2-0, a consequence of which also saw the latter crash out of the tournament. They would then end their group campaign with a narrow 2-1 win against Canada and top Group F with seven points.
Portugal won Group H and have looked solid so far in the tournament despite their Matchday 3 defeat to South Korea. The 2016 European champions beat Ghana 3-2 and followed that with another win against Uruguay by 2-0. In the Round of 16 however, Portugal were back at their best as they thumped Switzerland 6-1 as Gonçalo Ramos scored a hat-trick.
Group Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 |
R16 Result
Morocco 0-0 Spain (Morocco win 3-0 on penalties)
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Likely Suspensions
Morocco - Sofyan Amrabat, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Romain Saiss
Portugal – Danilo, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Ruben Neves, Joao Felix
World Cup Record:
Morocco
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1970) |
| Best result | Quarterfinal(2022) |
Portugal
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1966) |
| Best result | Third place (1966) |
Morocco vs Portugal Predicted Lineup
Morocco (4-3-3):
Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Amrabat, Ounahi, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Portugal (4-3-1-2):
Costa; Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Gurreiro; B. Silva, Carvalho, Otavio; Fernandes; Felix, Ramos
Morocco vs Portugal Date, kick-off time, and venue
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarterfinal encounter on Saturday, December 10 will kick-off at 8:30 PM IST, 6:00 PM Local Time
Venue
Al Thumama Stadium in Doha
Prediction
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