Is Portugal too strong to allow another Morocco upset?
The Moroccans are ready to shock the football world once again. After the outstanding round of 16 game against Spain, they also want to exploit their potential against another of their European neighbors, Portugal. Despite being the underdogs again, Portugal will not make the mistake of underestimating the Africans. After the 6:1 triumph over Switzerland, Portugal is suddenly one of the favorites for the world cup. A place in the quarter-finals is a must for them.
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Morocco - Portugal analysis
Nobody could assume that Morocco would play in the duel against Spain and ensure an open game. The Africans repeatedly waited for counterattacks and parked the bus on the defensive. This was so stable that Spain only had their first real chance to score in the 120th minute. They will now approach the game against Portugal in a similar way.
The round of 16 against Switzerland showed quite clearly what can happen when a team wants to play with the Portuguese. Offensively, these are certainly among the strongest teams this year. Overcoming Morocco's defense is probably one of the most difficult tasks at this World Cup.
Morocco is convincing at this World Cup especially with its strong defense. This isn't necessarily a big surprise either, after all the team can boast world-class players like Achraf Hakimi or Nayef Aguerd. Romain Saiss and Noussair Mazraoui also play for top international clubs. This back four has already established itself in this tournament and conceded just one goal in four games, including penalties against Spain. Goalkeeper Bono, who is under contract with FC Sevilla, is also one of the outstanding players. You can see Morocco's chances of reaching the semi-finals on our World Cup 2022 semi-finals page.
Morocco have only conceded one goal at this World Cup and that was an own goal against Canada by Nayef Aguerd. In the round of 16 against Spain, they didn't concede a goal for over 120 minutes and Spain also didn't manage to score on penalties. The only downer is that Nayef Aguerd had to be substituted in the game against Spain due to injury and a match in the quarter-finals has not yet been confirmed.
Morocco - Portugal: What to expect?
Portugal will not make the same mistake as Spain and underestimate the Africans. The team of Fernando Santos is the best attacking force in the tournament having scored 12 times in 4 games of the tournament so far. Apart from the loss against South Korea, they scored at least 2 goals in every game. Of course, the crowning glory was the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. There, Goncalo Ramos became the team's top scorer with 3 goals. Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao have also scored twice in this World Cup. Coach Fernando Santos is likely to use a similar line-up against Morocco.
Although Portugal is the clear favorite, and with 1.74 you get some pretty fair odds, we would suggest a victory to nil for Portugal at 2.50.
* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.