orocco will be faced Portugal in the World Cup quarter-finals this weekend after an eventful climax to the round of 16.
The Atlas Lions are on an incredible campaign in Qatar, reaching the last eight for the first time after a stunning penalty shootout upset Spainafter also captaining a difficult Group F ahead of European giants Croatia and Belgium.
They face another huge test to reach the semi-finals, with Portugal putting on arguably their most impressive World Cup performance to date against Switzerland on Tuesday.
After Fernando Santos made the huge decision to quit Cristiano Ronaldo after his antics against South Korea, Benfica substitute Goncalo Ramos destroyed Murat Yakin’s team with a classy hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition that rivaled – and probably surpassed – only Brazil’s dominance to date.
Date, start time and location
The kick-off between Morocco and Portugal is scheduled for Saturday 10 December 2022 at 15:00 GMT.
The match will take place at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar.
Where to watch Morocco vs Portugal
TV channel: In the UK, the match will be televised free of charge and live on ITV, broadcasting from 2pm.
Live stream: Fans can also watch the game live online via the ITVX app and the ITV website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on match day via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Team news Morocco vs Portugal
It will be fascinating to see if Santos holds on to Ronaldo, who came off the bench for a late cameo against Switzerland, as fans wanted to see him with a goal disallowed for offside.
While Portugal can thrive with their talisman, they beat their last 16 opponents without him and played brilliantly fluid football. Ramos certainly can’t be dropped.
We await the latest injury news from both teams after their last 16 games, although neither seemed to have any major concerns during those games.
Hakim Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat and Sofiane Boufal all returned after the break for Morocco against Spain, while Achraf Hakimi coolly took the winning penalty after ankle problems.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two penalties in the shootout after a late withdrawal against Belgium through illness.
Otavio, meanwhile, was back in Portugal’s line-up against Switzerland, although the injured Danilo remained sidelined.
Morocco vs Portugal Prediction
It has been an incredible show from Morocco so far and their performances will surely be remembered for a long time.
Spain, Belgium and Canada were all sidelined by Walid Regragui’s talented squad, and Croatia ran a campaign that will never be forgotten.
They will no doubt enjoy another chance to thrive as great underdogs, but this will likely prove to be a step too far.
Portugal have looked excellent against the usually solid Swiss after a mixed World Cup so far, with Ronaldo’s exit looking to boost the side, who have been extremely sensational.
Portugal wins 2-0.
Head-to-head (h2h) history and results
The only two previous encounters between these two countries have been at World Cups, with Morocco winning 3-1 in Mexico in 1986 before Portugal winning 1-0 in Russia four years ago, with an early Ronaldo goal knocking their opponents out of the tournament on the group stage.
Portugal wins: 1
Morocco wins: 1
Draws: 0
Morocco vs Portugal match odds
Morocco wins: 5/1
Portugal wins: 4/7
Draw: 11/4
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).