Morocco vs Spain
World Cup 2022 Round of 16
Date: Tuesday, 6 December 2022
Kick-off at 16:00 UK/ 17:00 CET
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail).
In a thrilling round of 16 match, Morocco squares up against a nimble Spanish team in Education City.
Prior to the start of the group stages, teams considered to be favorites had weaknesses that Morocco took full advantage of.
The African team stole a march and won the group despite a struggling Belgium team and a lackluster Croatian team.
The team of Walid Regragui is aware that they face a formidable challenge and understands how crucial it is to keep their cool.
This Moroccan team has gone 8 games without a loss in all competitions and has only given up 2 goals throughout that time.
Morocco’s victory over Spain will likely go down in continental history. They can emulate Cameroon’s historic 5-game winning streak from 1982 to 1990.
When Costa Rica beat Germany, Spain’s hearts stopped for a brief 75 seconds during their match with Japan.
The fact that La Roja defeated the Africans saved them from an early tournament departure thanks to Germany.
Amazingly, Japan won the group and defeated both of the elite teams, Germany and Spain.
Due to the performance lapses in the last two games, Luis Enrique will have been enraged with his players.
Spain has not made their chances count since the decisive win over Costa Rica on matchday because their fluidity has been ineffective.
They shouldn’t think their playing style will carry them through, but this club has the proper balance of youth and experience to make things exciting.
Enrique would undoubtedly wish for a different outcome from their upcoming matchup with Morocco, which ended in a 2-2 draw at the 2018 World Cup.
But as the two countries try to build a name for themselves in Qatar, a similar competition might take place at Education City.
Morocco vs Spain Head to head :
- Both teams last played against each other in the 2018 World Cup. A game which ended in a 2-2 scoreline.
- This will be the fourth time both these teams will be playing against each other.
- Spain remains unbeaten against Morocco in their last three encounters starting from 1961.
Morocco vs Spain Prediction :
When a match of this importance occurs, Spain is always the clear favorite. In this matchup, La Roja were predicted winners in Education City.
However, Morocco has shown they can compete with some of the best teams in this tournament, and they intend to do so once more.
Morocco may try to take advantage of any gaps in the Spanish defense to their advantage.
Spain’s effectiveness in midfield and the final third will be essential in this game, as Enrique’s team may just eke out a victory.
Morocco vs Spain Team News :
Yassine Bounou, the starting goalkeeper for Morocco, was able to play the full 90 minutes against Canada after feeling unwell just before the win over Belgium and having to leave at the last minute. He can now hope to be included in an untampered XI.
Despite having some ankle issues, Achraf Hakimi—who delivered a lovely assist for En-goal—is Nesyri’s anticipated to be in good physical condition.
However, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back was one of several starters who did not participate in full training on Saturday.
A well-deserved break was also provided to players like Sofiane Boufal, Sofiane Amrabat, and Ziyech, but there is no reason to believe that they won’t be available for Tuesday’s match.
Cesar Azpilicueta, David Raya, and Dani Olmo were all absent from Spain’s training session on Friday, while it was thought that the former had just needed to relax following a taxing group period.
According to Enrique, Azpilicueta and Brentford goalkeeper Raya will be available for the game, although Simon was always going to get the start despite his mistake the last time.
Against Japan, Enrique did not hesitate to start the young team of Nico Williams and Alejandro Balde, although Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba can anticipate returning to the starting lineup for the knockout rounds.
Morocco possible starting lineup:
Bono; Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Sahiri; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Spain possible starting lineup:
Simon; Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; Torres, Morata, Olmo
