Morocco and Portugal clash off on Saturday at the Al Thumama Stadium in the Quarter-Finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Check out here the expected lineups for this match.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (ET), Morocco and Portugal will compete for a place in the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar at Al Thumama Stadium. The players likely to suit up for each team in this knockout stage football match are listed below.
It will be their third meeting overall. There is no clear favorite in these matches as both Portugal and Morocco have won once against each other and neither of their meetings has ended in a draw.
The last meeting between the two sides took place in an international friendly on 20 June 2018, with the Selecao emerging victorious by a scoreline of 1–0. With this being their first meeting since then, deciding who will play in England’s semi-final against France promises to be an even more exciting game.
Morocco probable lineup
Morocco’s success in this World Cup may be attributed in large part to the team’s consistent starting lineup. Although they have had to make some roster adjustments due to injuries, the contributions of their top players have been crucial to their historic success.
As Abdelhamid Sabiri was substituted for Selim Amallah in the penalty shootout victory against Spain, they made only one alteration to their starting lineup. Both Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saiss were injured in the match against La Roja, with Aguerd eventually needing to be replaced. Walid Regragui expects both players to be available for this match.
Morocco predicted starting XI:
Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Amrabat, Amallah, Ounahi, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
Portugal probable lineup
From Portugal’s point of view, Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be the center of attention. After Goncalo Ramos scored a hat trick in place of him against Switzerland, he may be relegated to the bench for the foreseeable future. Because Joao Cancelo was benched for the victory in the round of 16, he may not be reinserted into the starting lineup against Morocco.
While Danilo’s participation in this game is still up in the air, Nuno Mendes has already been ruled out due to injury. Since the latter is unlikely to play, Ruben Dias should pair up with Pepe in the center of the defense. Otavio’s status going into the previous game was in question, but his strong showing from the get-go should be enough to keep him on the roster.
Portugal predicted starting XI:
Costa; Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro; Carvalho, Otavio; Silva, Fernandes, Felix; Ramos.
