Morocco vs Spain: 2022 World Cup, Round of 16, Match Preview and Predictions

Morocco vs Spain on Tuesday afternoon in a World Cup round of 16 tie between two nations from different continents separated by less than ten miles.

Match Details:

• Location: Doha, Qatar
• Stadium: Education City Stadium
• Date: Tuesday 6 December
• Kick-off Time: 8:30 PM IST
• Watch: Sports 18/HD, Jio Cinema App

Morocco vs Spain: Match Preview:

A composed and controlled victory against Canada - reflective of their conduct throughout the competition - ensured that Morocco became the first African team to top their World Cup group in the 21st century.

Luis Enrique lamented that his side had been "dismantled" and "collapsed" during the second half of Spain's defeat to Japan. La Roja finished behind Samurai Blue in Group E and spent three second-half minutes out of the competition entirely while Costa Rica briefly led Germany (although Enrique didn't find that out until after the match).

Team News:

Morocco:

Yassine Bounou was a late withdrawal from the squad that defeated Belgium 2-0 in Morocco's second group game. The goalkeeper returned against Canada - the country of his birth - unscathed.

Spain:

Enrique is expected to have a fully fit squad at his disposal ahead of Spain's first knockout tie. The 52-year-old made five changes to the lineup that drew with Germany for their game against Japan. With 20 minutes still to play in that defeat, Enrique had subbed four of the newcomers for the players they initially replaced.

Morocco vs Spain: Head to Head:

Spain have an excellent record against Morocco and have won two out of the three matches that have been played between the two teams, with the other match ending in a draw.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in the group stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and ended in a 2-2 draw.

Predicted Line-ups:

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

Spain Starting 11 (4-3-3): Simon; Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; F Torres, Morata, Olmo.
Bench: Sanchez, Raya, P Torres, Garcia, Balde, Azpilicueta, Guillamon, Llorente, Koke, Soler, Fati, Williams, Pino, Sarabia, Asensio.

MOR vs SPN: Dream11 Predictions:

For more Morocco vs Spain news, follow Sportz Point.