Morocco's odds to win the World Cup
200/1
Best World Cup
Second round 1986
2018 World Cup
Group stage
Morocco's World Cup Schedule
|
Date |
Fixture |
Location |
|
23rd November 10am |
Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
|
|
27th November 1pm |
Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor |
|
|
1st December 3pm |
Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor |
Road to Qatar
Morocco won their qualifying group with consummate ease, with six of their seven wins against Guinea-Bissau, Congo DR and Sudan coming by at least a 3-goal margin. That earned them a playoff against DR Congo and although the first away leg was a cagey 1-1 draw, the shackles were off in the return leg, with Morocco progressing in style thanks to an emphatic 4-1 home victory.
Recent form
Morocco took their foot off the pedal after securing their World Cup berth, slipping to a 3-0 defeat to USA, but since then they enjoyed back-to-back African Nations successes against South Africa (2-1) and Liberia (2-0). September brought an even more impressive performance to beat Chile 2-0, while a final goalless draw with Paraguay was Morocco's third straight clean sheet and extended their unbeaten run to four games.
Morocco squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca).
Defenders: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham Utd), Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Achraf Dari (Stade Brest), Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Romain Saiss (Besiktas).
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria).
Forwards: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Soufiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille), Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea).
Team insights
Probable formation: 4-5-1 Although sometimes operating a more adventurous 4-4-2 line-up, we are more likely to see Morocco field a packed 5-man midfield in front of an orthodox back four in order to nullify the threat of higher quality opposition. The return from the international exile of Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech is a major boost to Morocco's attacking ambitions, and his presence should be an inspiration for the emerging talent of Youssef En-Nesyri, who scored against Spain at the 2018 finals and has been a growing presence in La Liga since moving to Sevilla. Hakimi Achraf has quickly built up a formidable reputation as an attacking wing-back for PSG and at international level, while QPR's attacking midfielder, Elias Chair, will be keen to impress on the biggest stage after first making the squad last year.
World Cup prospects
It will take a major result from one of Morocco's games against Belgium or Croatia for them to have any chance of making the knockout phase, but if they can squeeze a point out of one of those opening two games, then they will have everything to play for when they meet Canada on Match Day 3. After that, Germany and Spain are likely to be lying in wait, which would probably signal the end of their World Cup ambitions. Best hope: Stuck behind Belgium and Croatia
Read more about each of Morocco's Group F opponents: