Morocco began their campaign with a goalless draw against Croatia in their opening fixture, before getting the better of favourites Belgium 2-0 on Sunday.
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Morocco will be aiming to secure a place in the last-16 of Qatar World Cup when they take on Canada in their final Group F encounter at Al Thumama Stadium on Thursday. The Atlas Lions are currently occupying second spot in the group, with four points to their name from two games, while Canada, who have already been eliminated from the tournament are languishing at the bottom, yet to open their account. Morocco began their campaign with a goalless draw against Croatia in their opening fixture, before getting the better of favourites Belgium 2-0 on Sunday. The Reds, meanwhile, lost both their games against Belgium (1-0) and Croatia (4-1).
🔜 One match left to make it to the second round
𝗚𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝘁𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀!! 🦁#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #TeamMorocco #FIFAWorldCup @pumafootball pic.twitter.com/LHNaqEGWsR— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) November 30, 2022
A victory or a draw will definitely take Morocco to the round of 16 regardless of what happens in the other match in the group. Meanwhile, if they lose though, then things do become very complicated, as they would need either Croatia to lose by at least two goals more than they do, or for Belgium to lose in order to progress. It would be incredibly unfortunate for the Atlas Lions to not go through, having secured a historic victory over favourites Belgium and taken a point against last edition’s finalists Croatia. The North African outfit showcased their attacking capabilities against the Red Devils, with Roamain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlala getting on the scoresheet to secure three points. Walid Regragui’s side are proving to be the dark horse of the tournament so far given the calibre of opponents they have taken points off.
Canada have also been impressive in their first appearance at the finals in 36 years. The Voyageurs were unlucky not to get anything from their first game against Belgium as they created the better chances and displayed fluent attacking football. Meanwhile, in the last match, they came across a determined Croatian side, and lost the match despite the fact that Alphonso Davies put the Reds ahead inside the opening two minutes. They will hope not to finish the tournament on zero points again like they did in 1986.
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Canadian boss John Herdman could be tempted to give some fringe players an opportunity to feature. Ismal Kone who made two appearances as substitute could come into the starting eleven in place of 39-year-old Atiba Hutchinson. Davies might join David up front, with Hoilett and Buchanan occupying the flanks. As for Morocco, Yassine Bounou is doubtful for Thursday’s game, having sustained an injury in the last outing. Therefore, apart from the goalkeeper, the rest of the playing eleven is likely to be unchanged.
Canada probable starting lineups: st. Clair, Johnston, Steven, Vitoria, Miller, Adekugbe, Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Hoilett, Davies, David
Morocco probable starting lineup: Bounou, Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui, Amrabat, Ounahi, Amallah, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Canada
| Opponents | Score |
| Croatia | 4-1 (W) |
| Belgium | 1-0 (L) |
| Japan | 1-2 (W) |
| Bahrain | 2-2 (D) |
| Uruguay | 0-2 (L) |
Morocco
| Opponents | Score |
| Belgium | 0-2 (W) |
| Croatia | 0-0 (D) |
| Georgia | 3-0 (W) |
| Paraguay | 0-0 (D) |
| chile | 2-0 (W) |
| Last match | Results |
| Morocco beat Canada | 4-0 |
The FIFA World Cup match between Canada and Morocco will take place at Al Thumama Stadium on Thursday at 8:30 pm IST.
| Canada vs Morocco | Key Details |
| Date | December 1 |
| Venue | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 8:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Canada | 10:00 am |
| Kickoff time in Morocco | 4:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 6:00 pm |
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar can be seen on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD – in India. Sports 18 will be telecasting the games on the regular and HD Channels. Besides, Viacom18 Sports announced that Jio Cinema will live-stream all the World Cup games. Besides, the match between Canada and Morocco can be seen on RDC, CTV and TSN network in Canada; and beIN Sports network in Morocco.
