After the great 0-0 draw against Croatia, Morocco is once again faced with a difficult task in the World Cup group stage. The Belgium of Roberto Martínez is the opponent in the Al Thumama stadium at 2 p.m. Just like Wednesday, Morocco will start with Hakim Ziyech in the base, while Noussair Mazraoui will probably disappear to the bench. The former Ajax player fell out in the opening game with a hip injury and is not yet fit enough to start. Romelu Lukaku is still missing from the Belgians.
Morocco caused a sensation on Wednesday by preventing vice world champions Croatia from scoring without too many problems. came themselves the Lions of the Atlas but not to a goal either. An even bigger blemish on the game was the failure of Mazraoui, who ended up wrong with a header just after the break. National coach Walid Regragui already said on Saturday that playing the 25-year-old back would be a race against time, and it seems that he has lost it.
Mazraoui follows The Independent being replaced at left back by Yahia Attiyat Allah. The wing defender annex wing attacker will be joined in defense by Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss. Achraf Hakimi was also in doubt due to a leg injury, but seems to be able to start. The Moroccan midfield consists of Azzedine Ounahi, Selim Amallah and Sofyan Amrabat. The latter was one of the stars against Croatia, and will also be one of the key players for Regragui in the duel with the Belgians. Just like Wednesday, Ziyech is the rightmost man in an attack that also consists of Youssef En-Nesyri and Sofiane Boufal. Ex-AZ player Zakaria Aboukhlal will have to hope for a substitute, just like against the Croats.
The opponent
Opponent Belgium opened the World Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over Canada. An inspiration from Michy Batshuayi turned out to be just enough for the southern neighbors. Nevertheless, the game of the Belgian national coach Martínez will have been anything but happy. Many a player had to pay the analysts afterwards, and star player Kevin de Bruyne was even said to have ‘never seen him so bad’. The bright spot was Batshuayi’s performance. He will also kick off again on Sunday, as normally first choice Lukaku is still injured.
However, Belgium is still ‘just’ leading in Group F. Martínez and co will not hope for a repeat of the last meeting with the Moroccans (in March 2008): then it became 1-4 for the latter. In total, Belgium and Morocco met three times, of which the other two games were won by the southern neighbors. Other group members Croatia and Canada will meet later in the day.
Probable line-up Belgium: Courtois; Dendoncker, Alderweireld, Vertongen; Meunier, Witsel, Tielemans, Castagne; De Bruyne, E. Hazard (c); Batshuayi
Probable line-up Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss (c), Allah; Amrabat; Ounahi, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal