WORLD CUP 2022
Morocco vs Portugal: times, how to watch on TV, stream online, 2022 World Cup
Morocco take on Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, 10 December 2022 with kick-off at 10am ET / 7am PT.
Morocco take on Portugal in the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Saturday, 10 December 2022. The Atlas Lions have been the surprise package of the tournament, while Cristiano Ronaldo has his work cut out to get back into the Portugal side after their superb round of 16 performance.
Watch Morocco vs Portugal live on fuboTV
Watch Morocco vs Portugal live on Peacock (Spanish commentary)
When does Morocco vs Portugal kick off?
The game between Morocco and Portugal starts on Saturday, 10 December 2022 at
· 10am ET
· 7am PT
How to watch Morocco vs Portugal
- TV: Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, SiriusXM FC
- Streaming: Foxsports.com, FOX Sports App, Peacock, Sling, fuboTV
Watch Morocco vs Portugal live on fuboTV
Watch the [game] live on Peacock (Spanish commentary)
Morocco vs Portugal preview
Morocco hope to keep rock-solid defence together despite injury issues
The Qatar 2022 World Cup has had plenty of surprises, yet taking a look at the draw for the quarter-finals, perhaps the only name you wouldn’t expect to see at this stage of the tournament is that of Morocco. The Atlas Lions have never before progressed as far but their place in the last eight is fully deserved. Few would have imagined that they would top a group containing 2018 finalists - and 2022 semi-finalists - Croatia and Belgium, who came into the World Cup as the second-best international team in world soccer, according to the FIFA rankings. Yet that is exactly what they did, keeping clean sheets against the Croats and the Red Devils along the way. Walid Regragui’s men were not favourites to defeat Spain in the round of 16 but another superb defensive display provided the foundation for a penalty shoot-out victory, helped by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s two saves in the shoot-out. With a sizeable and vociferous fanbase behind them, most of Morocco’s fixtures have felt like home games for them and that will again spur them on to face Portugal.
Regragui does, however, have a few injury issues to contend with ahead of the quarter-final clash with Portugal. Morocco have conceded just once – an own goal against Canada – in their four matches so far and they’ll be desperate to have central defensive duo Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saiss fit after both suffered injuries against Spain. Full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui have also been playing through the pain barrier since the competition started, although both should start. Similarly, Sofyan Amrabat, one of the World Cup’s best midfielders so far, has been struggling with a back issue but has been OK to play so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo again likely to start on the Portugal bench
The big news around Portugal’s round of 16 game against Switzerland was, of course, that legendary striker and captain Cristiano Ronaldo was not selected in the starting line-up. Would manager Fernando Santos live to regret that decision? Not in the slightest, as A Seleção put on an exhilarating attacking display to take the Swiss apart, winning 6-1. Young Benfica striker Gonçalo Ramos hit the headlines by scoring a hat-trick, which surely means that Ronaldo will once again have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes. Rumours abound that the former Manchester United attacker threatened to leave the World Cup after being left out but have been denied by the Portuguese federation and the player himself.
Despite winning Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019, Santos has been regularly criticised for failing to get the best out of his attacking players during his lengthy tenure but that was certainly not the case against Switzerland and the temptation must be to go with the same starting line-up once again. Defender-cum-midfielder Danilo Pereira missed the round of 16 victory and is an injury doubt once more but will probably start on the bench if he is fit in any case.
Morocco vs Portugal prediction
How long can the Morocco fairy-tale go on for? Any team with a solid defensive structure usually has a good chance of competing in a major international tournament. However, with key players suffering with fitness issues and Portugal hugely impressing in their round of 16 clash, this could be the end of the road for the North Africans.
Prediction – Morocco 0-2 Portugal
Who will referee Morocco vs Portugal?
The referee for Morocco vs Portugal will be Facundo Tello from Argentina.
Where will Morocco vs Portugal be played?
Morocco vs Portugal will be played at Al Thumama Stadium, which is about 12 kilometres south of Doha. This will be the last World Cup game played at Al Thumama, which has already hosted seven fixtures, including Morocco’s group-stage victories against Belgium and Canada. The Atlas Lions will hope that’s an omen.
Who has won the most meetings between Morocco and Portugal?
Morocco and Portugal have met on two previous occasions, both times at the World Cup. The Moroccans won by three goals to one in the group stage of the 1986 tournament in Mexico, while the Portuguese triumphed by a goal to nil at the same stage of the 2018 edition.
