Giant killers Morocco attempts to pull off another upset in halting Spain in the penultimate round of 16 match of the 2022 World Cup. The winners of the tie will play either Portugal or Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Atlas Lions came out top in the group containing the likes of Croatia and Belgium while La Roja prevented a massive scare by finishing second despite losing to Japan in their last group game.
MOR vs SPN Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Time: 18:00 (AST) / 20:30 (IST)
Venue: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
MOR vs SPN Match Preview
This has been a dream World Cup campaign for Morocco whom many strike off from knockout qualification prior to the tournament. The Atlas Lions showed that they contain immense quality and a strong fold in defense to take them through from a group containing previous edition’s finalists Croatia and Belgium, ranked second in the world rankings. Walid Regragui’s side restricted Croatia in a 0-0 draw in their opening game but their bravo moment came in the second one against Belgium. They stunned the Red Devils 2-0 and went to secure qualification to the round of 16 by defeating Canada in the final group game. Morocco finished at the top of their group, two points ahead of Croatia in the second and three better than now-eliminated Belgium. That puts them in a massive last-16 clash against Spain on Tuesday. The second time they have been in the knockouts of this competition. The only nation left from Africa now conceded just one goal in the group stages going on to show their resilient nature even against higher-ranked oppositions. It is the solidity that has been their main ingredient of success. Morocco will be counting on it again in order to get past the mighty La Roja to move into the quarterfinals for the very first time in their World Cup history. Also, Regragui’s side are carrying an eight-match unbeaten streak with a four-game undefeated run in this competition to boast about. Morocco will also take notice of their incredible 2-2 draw four years ago against Spain in which they led twice but victory was denied by a late equalizer from Iago Aspas.
Check here Morocco’s Squad for FIFA World Cup 2022 & Team Profile and FIFA World Cup 2022: Morocco - World Cup Records and Stats
Spain’s start to the 2022 World Cup campaign was exuberant as they thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 but then they tailed off. Alvaro Morata gave the lead against Germany in the second group game only to see early qualification hopes halted after Die Mannschaft equalized in the 83rd minute. The Atletico Madrid striker came up with the goods again in the 11th minute of the final group game against Japan. Once again, Spain failed to hold onto the lead and made life uncomfortable for them after the Blue Samurais pulled out a comeback win with their super subs again. The winner from Japan was a contentious one with arguments about whether the ball crossed the byline before Mitoma passed it to Tanaka to score although it was no excuse for Spain’s performance on the night. However, La Roja managed to grab the second spot courtesy of a better goal difference than the Germans. The way Spain lost control of the proceedings was disturbing for Luis Enrique after a decent beginning to the tournament. The worry is more in facing a solid opposition like Morocco in the last 16, already made upsets in the group stages. It will also bring back memories of their elimination from this stage of the competition in penalty shoot-outs by hosts Russia in 2018. Should this clash move into the tiebreaker, Spain have little to cheer about as they have lost two of the last three shootouts in their World Cup history. The more recent one in Euro 2020 semifinals also ended in a defeat to eventual champions Italy last year. But La Roja have a bag full of talents to prevent further disarray for themselves and come back from the defeat against Japan in the last group stage game. They also have not lost in the three previous meetings with Morocco so this hurdle needs to be overcome.
Check here Spain’s Squad for FIFA World Cup 2022 & Team Profile and FIFA World Cup 2022: Spain - World Cup Records and Stats
World Cup 2022 Form
MOR: WWD
ESP: LDW
MOR vs SPN Predicted Lineups
MOR: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Naif Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui; Azzedine Ounahi, Sofyan Amrabat, Addelhamid Sahiri; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal
ESP: Unai Simon; Daniel Carvajal, Rodri, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba; Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Gavi; Ferran Torres, Alvaro Morata, Dani Olmo
MOR vs SPN Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Simon (7.5)
DEF: Hakimi (9), Rodri (8.5), Laporte (8.5), Alba (9)
MID: Ziyech (9), Pedri (9), Ounahi (8.5), Olmo (9)
FW: Morata (8.5), En-Neyessri (9),
Vice-captain: Dani Olmo
Captain: Alvaro Morata
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