Portugal vs Morocco
World Cup 2018 Group B
Date: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Kick-Off at 13:00 UK / 14:00 CET
Venue: Stadion Luzhniki, Moscow.
Portugal
Without precedent for some years, Portugal head into a noteworthy competition viewed as more than dim steeds because of their triumph at Euro 2016, and their execution against Spain will just add to the hypothesis that they can accomplish a popular twofold.
After damage cut off his opportunity in the European Championships last, Ronaldo seems to have landed in Russia realizing that time is heading out to add the Jules Rimet trophy to his immense rundown of awards, and that craving will strike fear into future rivals.
At the point when the Real Madrid genius ventured back to take that late free kick against Spain, there felt a certainty about what was to come, and it is a minute which can go about as the springboard for Portugal to have a long kept running in this opposition.
Freely, Ronaldo will state that he doesn't see himself in coordinate rivalry with Lionel Messi however with the Argentine maestro neglecting to inspire against Iceland at the end of the week, it will just add to the hypothesis that Ronaldo is resolved to eclipse his greatest adversary.
Regardless of the heroics of the 33-year-old, Portugal can't bear to disregard the negatives from Friday's execution, most eminently a guarded execution which will just empower Morocco and Iran.
Fernando Santos is managing a transitional period with his backline, and with veterans Pepe and Jose Fonte both demonstrating their shortcomings against Spain, the national group mentor must choose whether to draft in more youthful substitutions.
A similar matching kept a perfect sheet against Belgium prior this month, yet A Selecao das Quinas have just recorded two shutouts in their last seven excursions and it is a zone of the pitch which could possibly undermine their endeavors in the last third.
Amusements with Morocco and Iran give Santos some breathing space to locate a more grounded arrangement in the long haul, however an adjust must be found while accomplishing ahead of everyone else in Group B could turn out to be essential.
Morocco
Morocco would have begun this competition realizing that they would likely need triumph over Iran to have any practical possibility of advancing through to the last 16, with even a draw giving them an outside circumstance.
Notwithstanding, the 95th-minute claim objective from Aziz Bouhaddouz which skilled Iran every one of the three focuses in St Petersburg has walked out on Renard pulling off the unimaginable to win a spot in the knockout stages.
Morocco will even now hold an internal conviction and a longing to awe against Portugal and Spain, yet the African country need to pull off two of the immense World Cup stuns to keep up any shot of staying in this opposition.
As far as shots on objective and ownership, there were positives to take from Friday's challenge yet Renard needs a response from a squad which holds the vital experience not to be overawed by the conflict in Moscow.
Juventus focus back Medhi Benatia was brilliant against Iran and the 31-year-old will be called upon to convey a commander's execution against Ronaldo, while youthful full-back Achraf Hakimi will savor the opportunity to attempt to invalidate the risk offered by his Real Madrid colleague.
Additionally forward, Ajax's Hakim Ziyech should indicate to a greater extent a clinical touch in the last third to add to his nine objectives from 19 excursions for his nation, however they enter fight could come in midfield, with Mbark Boussoufa and Karim El Ahmadi - previously of Chelsea and Aston Villa separately - expecting to move back the years.
Joined with losing the offer to have the 2026 World Cup, it has been an unpleasant couple of days for Morocco however this is a squad which is probably not going to acknowledge the general agreement that they have little any expectation of capability.
The Atlas Lions may require a touch of fortunes to get their first point on the board, yet Portugal have not generally savored the gathering stage segment at real competitions and openings could appear in Russia's capital.
Portugal conceivable beginning lineup:
Patricio; Soares, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro; Carvalho, Moutinho, Mario; B.Silva, Guedes; Ronaldo
Morocco conceivable beginning lineup:
Munir; S.Amrabat, Benatia, Saiss, Achraf; El Ahmadi; Belhanda, Harit, Boussoufa, Ziyech; El Kaabi
KEY OPTA STATS
- Morocco beat Portugal 3-1 in their solitary past experience, in the gathering phases of the 1986 World Cup. It was Morocco's first win at the competition.
- That was Portugal's solitary thrashing against African restriction at the World Cup, with two wins and an attract the ensuing three recreations against them.
- Portugal has not lost against a non-European country at the World Cup since June 2002, when it fell 1-0 to South Korea (W5 D3 since).
- Portugal has lost just a single of its last 10 World Cup aggregate diversions (0-4 versus Germany in 2014), winning five and drawing the other four.
- Morocco had 68 percent ownership in their 1-0 annihilation to Iran, the most by a losing group in a World Cup coordinate since 2010, when Spain had 73 percent ownership against Switzerland however lost 1-0.
- Ronaldo's three objectives for Portugal against Spain made him the most established cap trap scorer ever of World Cup (33y 130d). His third objective in that diversion was likewise the first occasion when he'd scored from coordinate free kick in a noteworthy universal competition, at the 45th endeavor.
- Ronaldo had scored three objectives from 70 shots in his past three World Cup competitions consolidated for Portugal (2006, 2010 and 2014) — at the 2018 World Cup, he has scored three objectives from only four shots.
Portugal versus Morocco Head-to-head
The two groups went up against each other only once before. Strangely, the conflict was likewise played at the World Cup, in 1986 when Morocco took a stunning 3-1 triumph in the gathering stage. The Atlas Lions finished their separate gathering in those days with four focuses, while Selecao das Quinas finished at the absolute bottom with two attracts remaining installations.
Morocco or Draw Double Chance @ 2.40.
Under 2.5 objectives FT @ 1.72.
Remedy FT Score: 1-0 Morocco @ 15.00.
