Morocco vs Portugal is next as Morocco line up against Portugal on Saturday for their first-ever World Cup quarter-final.

Match Details:

• Location: Doha, Qatar
• Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
• Date: Saturday 10 December
• Kick-off Time: 8:30 PM IST
• Watch: Sports 18/HD, Jio Cinema App

Morocco vs Portugal: Match Preview:

The 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos bagged a Round of 16 hat-trick in place of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal starting lineup, announcing himself to the world while the aging superstar watched from the bench.

That sent Portugal on their way to a 6-1 thrashing and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Morocco sprung a stunning upset of Spain, managing to hold on for a 0-0 draw and winning on penalties after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made two stops in the shootout and Pablo Sarabia had hit the post.

Spain were devoid of ideas on how to break down Morocco, who looked the more likely side to score on multiple occasions.

The Atlas Lions will be hoping to become the first African nation to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, but one of the tournament’s most in-form teams stands in their way.

Team News:

Morocco:

Over the course of two hours of energy-sapping football against Spain, Morocco’s historic victory may have come at a price. Nayef Aguerd was forced off with a muscular complaint in the final exchanges of normal time. His centre-back partner, Romain Saiss, didn’t leave the pitch but required lengthy treatment to his thigh.

Both fullbacks – Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui – have been carrying knocks through the tournament before recovering to feature while Sofyan Amrabat shook off a back problem to star against Spain.

Portugal:

Danilo Pereira has been stuck on the sidelines with his PSG teammate Nuno Mendes since damaging his ribs in training. Mendes was ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring injury last month and Pereira is continuing his recovery.

Morocco vs Portugal: Head to Head:

Morocco and Portugal are on an even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned and have won one game apiece out of a total of two matches played between the two teams.

The two previous matches between the two teams have occurred at the FIFA World Cup, with their previous meeting taking place in a group fixture in 2018.

There have been a total of 11 knock-out fixtures between African and European nations at the FIFA World Cup, with European countries.

Predicted Line-ups:

Morocco Starting 11 (4-3-3): Bounou; Hakimi, El Yamiq, Benoun, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Bench: Munir, Tagnaouti, Dari, Allah, Jabrane, Sabiri, El Khannouss, Abde, Zaroury, Aboukhlal, Cheddira, Hamdallah.

Portugal Starting 11 (4-3-3): Costa; Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro; Otavio, Carvalho, Bernardo; Fernandes, Ramos, Felix.
Bench: Patricio, Sa, Antonio Silva, Cancelo, Neves, Palhinha, Nunes, Vitinha, Mario, Horta, Leao, Ronaldo, Andre Silva.

MOR vs POR: Dream11 Predictions

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