Joralexray Garcia
The third match to be played of the 2022 Qatar World Cup quarterfinals will be this unexpected but attractive face-to-face between Morocco vs Portugal.
This will be just the third meeting in history between the two teams, the first two also being precisely in the World Cup setting. Morocco took a 3-1 win in 1986, and Portugal won 1-0 in 2018, both matches took place in the group stage.
JefeBet continues to prepare for the grand finale of the World Cup, and brings you predictions for this Morocco vs Portugal , a match that brings us closer to the end of this exciting international soccer tournament.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Morocco vs Portugal World Cup Qatar 2022 Quarterfinal Match on December 10, 2022
- Where: Al Thumama Stadium – Doha, Qatar.
- When: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 10:00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline of PointsBet: Morocco (+470) / Draw (+292) / Portugal (-143).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (+118), Under (-125).
- Both teams score: Yes (+106) / No (-137).
- Pointsbetting (exclusive at PointsBet, for conditions click here):Total goals for Portugal = 1.8.
Odds provided exclusively by PointsBet.
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Morocco preview
Undoubtedly, the tam that surprised in this 2022 Qatar World Cup has been none other than Morocco, who topped their group stage ahead of FIFA No. 2 Belgium, and Russia 2018 runners-up Croatia, conceding just one goal in the process.
The team, coached by Walid Regragui, showed that their first-round performance was no coincidence, sealing their place in the quarterfinals thanks to a great display of courage and defensive solidity against one of the favorites to take top honors: Spain. The match was scoreless during 120 minutes of play, and it had to be decided in a penalty shootout.
Sevilla-based goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, better known as Bono, was the hero of the African team in the round of 16, saving penalties from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. In fact, the 31-year-old goalkeeper has been a star performer throughout the tournament, keeping a clean sheet in three of the four matches he has played.
Probable lineup (4-1-2-3): Bono; Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saiss, Noussair Mazraoui; Sofyan Amrabat; Azzedine Ounahi, Selim Amallah; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal.
Portugal preview
Although they ended their group stage with a defeat, Portugal managed to win first place in their group without major complications. Their performance was not as good as it was expected in some people’s minds, more so considering the quality players they have and as they were tagged as favorites.
However, all those doubts were dispelled at the previous presentation, where there was speculation that Cristiano Ronaldo might not start from the beginning after some controversy. But what no one was expecting was that 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced him, would put on a real show by scoring a hat-trick in what was his first World Cup game as a start player.
Those three goals were part of a 6-1 devastating defeat by the Portuguese against Switzerland, who could do little after the first goal, and who also helped to consolidate the Lusitanians as definitive favorites to win their first World Cup title.
Probable lineup (4-1-2-3): Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro; William Carvalho; Bernardo Silva, Otavio; Bruno Fernandes, Gonçalo Ramos, Joao Félix.
JefeBet Prediction
The Moroccans have stood out mainly for their defensive solidity, something they will need more than ever now that they will be facing a Portugal team that has already showed its offensive power in the round of 16.
Moreover, that will not be an easy task, not only because of the quality of their opponents, but also because they arrive to this game with 30 more minutes of play and after a match that required much more intensity than Portugal’s, who practically sealed their pass in the first half of their last game.
Most likely, Morocco will opt to hold on until the end and take advantage of the occasional counterattack, something that we think will not have the same effect as it dd against Spain. Given that now they will face a team that has more depth and with better ideas, and that count with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. Therefore, we are confident that Portugal will dominate and win this match.
Prediction: Portugal will win (MAR 0 – 2 POR)
The odds shown are courtesy of PointsBet. Check out our reviews!
