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Morocco frustrated Spain for 120 minutes and did so convincingly. They were stalwart in defence and mentally tougher than the Spaniards, which saw them win the resulting penalty shootout.
Sofyan Amrabat has been imperious in the midfield, chasing down every pass like his life depended on it and will be crucial to disrupting any attack Portugal hope to build. Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal have been inspirational in pressing and orchestrating counter-attacks but Morocco lack a clinical finisher up top. This has been overcome through defensive solidity but they will hope to take their chances moving forward.
Yassine Bounou earned the Man of the Match award for his heroics throughout the match against Spain in the penalty shootout, and with centre-back pairing Romain Saiss and Nayef Aguerd in front of him, Morocco will be extremely difficult to break down. If they can frustrate Portugal, they stand every chance of winning and may even pinch a goal from open play if underestimated by their opponents.
The big surprise in the Round of 16 was the benching of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for first-time starter Gonçalo Ramos. Those that questioned the move were soon silenced as Ramos smashed home the opening goal and later took home the match ball with a stunning hat-trick performance.
Portugal ran riot over a poor Switzerland side, with four different goalscorers getting in on the action and a lot of attacking success that can be attributed to Joao Felix. The Atletico Madrid man has been given the freedom to play at Qatar 2022 that he has arguably not had at club level.
Pepe and Ruben Dias have been solid but have not been seriously tested just yet, while Andre Silva and Bruno Fernandes have controlled the midfield and transitional play effectively. Portugal may not get the room to build their attack against a compact Morocco side, and they will want to avoid being dragged into a grinding match where they are unable to create clear-cut chances.
Don't miss what promises to be an arm-wrestle of a match - Portugal have the firepower but Morocco have the resistance and mental strength to win. This game could be either side's for the taking.
How to watch Morocco v Portugal LIVE and FREE on SBS
Sunday, December 11
Quarter-Final - Morocco v Portugal
1:30am - 4:30am (AEDT) - kick-off at 02:00am
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
WATCH via SBS On Demand
Morocco v Portugal (Quarter-Finals) - Live Stream - FIFA World Cup 2022
