Official line-up Morocco-Spain, Luis Enrique’s Roja against the big surprise of the group stage: prediction of goalscorers, cautions and marksmen
Morocco, the last African selection remaining in the competition at Qatar 2022, will also attempt to surprise Spain after stopping Croatia and beating Belgium in the group stage. Results which, added to the victory against Canada on the final day, allowed Walid Regragui’s Atlas Lions to finish first in Group F. Morocco, however, have not been blessed with good fortune, as despite finishing ahead of everyone else in their group, in the round of 16 they will have to face Luis Enrique’s fearsome Roja, who have never lost in their three previous matches against the North Africans. The most recent was in the last World Cup, the one played in Russia. In the group stage four years ago it ended 2-2. More generally, Spain has not lost to an African national team since France ’98. In the event of qualification to the quarter-finals, however, Morocco would make history: they have never gone this far in an Olympic Games before. What is more, it would do so undefeated. Here are the line-up choices of the two selectors.
- MAROCCO (4-3-3): Bono; Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal. CT: Walid Regragui.
- SPAIN (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Llorente, Rodri, Laporte, Jordi Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Gavi; Ferran Torres, Asensio, Dani Olmo. CT: Luis Enrique.
Official Morocco-Spain line-up, goalscorers’ prediction
Luis Enrique surprisingly left out Morata, always in goal in the three challenges faced by the Roja so far. In his place, in the centre of the trident, is Asensio again: the Real Madrid player had also started from the 1′ in the first match against Costa Rica. This, however, could be the game of Dani Olmo, one of the Asturian coach’s ‘loyalists’ and who, despite playing in the outside role, always has a certain confidence with the goal. On the other side, however, Boufal has everything to hurt the Red Furies’ defence: the Angers striker, if on a good day, can make himself uncatchable.
Official formation Morocco-Spain, probable cautions and marksmen
Asensio, in false nueve version, should repay the selector’s trust by taking at least one shot towards the goal defended by Moroccan goalkeeper Bono. In Morocco, watch out for Sevilla striker En-Nesyri, who broke through against Canada. In terms of cautions, yellow cards could abound for the Moroccans, who will have to deal with the asphyxiating Spanish ball possession. Amrabat, Amallah and Boufal himself are at risk, while in Spain the referee could sanction Llorente and Gavi.