The Atlas Lions will kick off their World Cup campaign against last edition’s finalists Croatia on November 23 before taking on Belgium and Canada on November 27 and December 2 respectively in their next Group F matches.
Morocco will round off their preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a friendly against Georgia at the Sharjah stadium on Thursday. The Atlas Lions will kick off their campaign against last edition’s finalists Croatia on November 23 before taking on Belgium and Canada on November 27 and December 2 respectively in their next Group F matches. Both nations were previously in action in September, with Morocco playing out a goalless draw against Paraguay in a friendly, while Gibraltar got the better of Georgia 2-1 in a Nations League match.
صور الحصة التدريبية الأخيرة قبل المواجهة المرتقبة يوم غد ضد منتخب جورجيا
📷 Last training session before tomorrow’s friendly game against Georgia 🇬🇪#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/xRURhmOtNQ
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) November 16, 2022
Morocco earned a spot in the World Cup courtesy of thrashing Democratic Republic of Congo 5-2 on aggregate in the third round of qualifiers in March. Since then, the Atlas Lions have lost just one of their five outings across all competitions. Prior to that goalless draw against Paraguay, Walid Regragui’s side defeated Chile 2-0 courtesy of second half goals from Sofiane Boufal and Abdelhamid Samiri. Meanwhile, the Atlas Lions will be heading to Qatar desperate to improve their performance from four years ago in Russia, when they finished at the bottom of Group B.
Georgia, on the other hand, failed to qualify for their first ever World Cup after finishing at the fourth position in Group B of UEFA qualifiers. However, Willy Sagnol’s side turned their fortunes with a fine run in the UEFA Nations League, having recorded five wins from six games to secure top spot in League C Group 4. Georgia head into Thursday on a run of nine wins and two draws in their last 11 matches across all competitions. The Crusaders have kept eight clean sheets and conceded just four goals since their last defeat, which was in October 2021 against Greece (2-0).
Regragui is expected to opt for a strong starting eleven, with the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Nayef Aguerd and Yahia Attiyat Allah starting at the defensive end of the pitch. Youssef En-Nesyri is likely to spearhead the attack, with Ziyech and Aboukhal in support. As for Georgia, Napoli-man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is sidelined with an injury. Chakvetadze, Kvilitaia and Lobzhanidze could form the front-three.
Morocco probable starting lineup: Bounou, Hakimi, Saiss, Aguerd, Allah, Jabrane, Ounahi, Amrabat, Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Aboukhlal
Georgia probable starting lineup: Loria, Kvirkvelia, Kashia, Tabidze, Kiteishvili, Gaburjania, Davitashvili, Kvekveskiri, Chakvetadze, Kvilitaia, Lobzhanidze
Morocco
Opponents | Score |
Paraguay | 0-0 (D) |
Chile | 2-0 (W) |
Liberia | 0-2 (W) |
South Africa | 2-1 (W) |
USA | 3-0 (L) |
Georgia
Opponents | Score |
Gibraltar | 1-2 (W) |
Macedonia | 2-0 (W) |
Bulgaria | 0-0 (D) |
Macedonia | 0-3 (W) |
Bulgaria | 2-5 (W) |
The international friendly match between Morocco and Georgia will take place at Oran Sharjah Stadium on Thursday at 9:30 pm IST.
Morocco vs Georgia | Key details |
Date | November 17 |
Venue | Sharjah Stadium |
Kickoff time in Morocco | 5:00 pm |
Kickoff time in Georgia | 8:00 pm |
Kickoff time in UAE | 8:00 pm |
For the Football fans in Morocco, live telecast of the match will be available on Arryadia. Meanwhile, those in Georgia can catch the live action via 1TV.