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Rabat – Morocco, and Canada’s Round of 16 is coming and bringing thrills to fans from both sides – and both teams are hungry for qualification to the next round.
The Atlas Lions are all over the headlines from north to south and from east to west, owing to their spectacular performances and masterclasses they have been delivering throughout this year’s tournament.
Morocco started with a stellar performance, drawing their first game against Brazil. The Atlas Lions collected two spectacular wins against Scotland and Haiti in their group stage and another to-be-remembered performance against the Netherlands.
The game against the Oranje finished with a thrilling penalty shootout – similar to the one Morocco made headlines for against Spain in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Yassine Bounou again made the difference, contributing to Morocco’s qualification.
Morocco will now face Canada, whose coach is determined that his team, due to their physical condition, could make a difference against the Atlas Lions.
“We’re not going to change who we are,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “We’ll make tactical adjustments based on the opponent, but our identity remains the same.”
Saturday’s 6 p.m. game could become the tournament’s most-watched match worldwide and could collect between 300 and 500 million views, reports suggested.
The game will take place in Houston, but those who do not watch it there could do so in Morocco on Arryadia and beIN Sports. The match will also be available on ITV, Fox Sports, Zee5, and SBS in Australia.
For the lineup, coach Mohamed Ouahbi is expected to deploy the same team he called up for Morocco vs. the Netherlands.
Morocco’s lineup could include Yassine Bounou in goal, in addition to Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Chadi Riad, Noussair Mazraoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi, Neil El Aynaoui, as well as Ismael Saibari, Bilal El Khannouss, and Brahim Diaz.
Canada’s lineup could include Maxime Crépeau, Alistair Johnston, Moise Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio, Nathan Saliba, Liam Millar, Jonathan David, and Tani Oluwaseyi.
Morocco is predicted to take the lead, given its history of beating the Canadian team.
The last game between the two teams took place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they met in the group stage.
Morocco scored two goals against Canada, while Canada pulled one back through an own goal by Nayef Aguerd.
