Morocco vs Portugal Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips 10/12/2022

[World Cup 2022 Prediction] As the field continues to shrink and the World Cup trophy is in sight, leaders Morocco meet quarter-final opponents Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.

Morocco vs Portugal Prediction: Morocco’s miracle run

Morocco beat Spain on penalties in the last 16, while Portugal strolled to a 6-1 win over a poor Switzerland team to set up an interesting and surprising quarter-final meeting at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Morocco form

Achraf Hakimi added the most delicate finishing touches to Morocco's defensive masterpiece on Tuesday, as his 'Panenka' penalty condemned Spain to a 3-0 shootout defeat and advanced the North African nation to the quarter-finals.

Morocco form

Being only the fourth African team to reach the World Cup's last eight - and the first in 12 years - enthralled a crowded Education City Stadium, which was mostly occupied by Moroccan supporters, whose fervor has been a characteristic of these championships.

The Atlas Lions' last participation in the last 16 was in 1986, and Regragui's men have not only broken new ground for their country, but also for the Arab world. In the process, they extended their World Cup undefeated streak to five games and maintained a stunning sixth clean sheet in their past seven games. Fighting off members of the European establishment like Croatia and Belgium helped them finish top in Group F earlier in the season, so facing Portugal should be no problem for the quarter-finalists.

Portugal form

Fernando Santos was rewarded for exerting his authority by benching Portugal's famous captain this week, as the Selecao surged past Switzerland and into the final eight of Qatar 2022. 

Portugal form

Dropping aging superstar Cristiano Ronaldo resulted in a considerably more dynamic and proactive assault, and his successor - Benfica prodigy Goncalo Ramos - was clearly up to the challenge of replacing the dethroned king. After scoring an unstoppable opener, the 21-year-old went on to record a fairytale hat-trick in Portugal's 6-1 triumph, the tournament's first triple - on his very first senior appearance.

Santos' team had negotiated safe passage through the World Cup's first phase as Group H victors, despite a late slip against South Korea when having qualified, and with three victories and 12 goals to their record, they may well hope they can now take the cup for the first time.

Head-to-head history

So far, the two sides have only met twice, both times at the FIFA World Cup. Both meetings took place during the competition's group stage, and both teams won. Morocco won 3-1 in 1986, while Portugal won 1-0 in their most recent match in 2018, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the game's lone goal in the fourth minute.

Morocco vs Portugal H2H Stats

Morocco vs Portugal Current Odds

Morocco vs Portugal Current Odds

Let's take a closer look at the most popular markets and the latest odds ahead of the match between Morocco and Portugal in the Quarterfinals of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar

• Handicap Odds: Morocco (1.02) / Portugal (0.88)
• 1x2 Odds: Morocco (5.80) / Draw (3.70) / Portugal (1.72)
• Over/Under Goals: Over 2.5 (2.28) | Under 2.5 (1.65)
• Both Teams To Score: Yes (2.20) | No (1.66)

As you can see, Portugal is the overwhelming favourite to win, which is not surprising given that they have the superior team on paper. However, as we predicted before of Morocco vs. Spain matchup in the previous round, the North Africans have proven their ability to defend well and counter-attack with pace and strength.

The bookies put Christiano Ronaldo as the most likely First Goalscorer at 24/5, but we're not certain he'll even start the game, so Goncalo Ramos at 11/2 would be a better option. Morocco doesn't score many goals, but they also don't lose many, which might be a part of why the Under 2.5 Goals market for this game is set at about 13/18. If you believe there will be more goals this weekend, you can now back Over 2.5 Goals at 6/5.

Morocco vs Portugal Betting Tips

Draw

We anticipate a tight and edgy 90 minutes between these two nations and have predicted a draw. Portugal and Morocco have met twice before, with each team claiming a win and a defeat, most recently in 2018 when Portugal claimed a 1-0 victory against the Africans at the World Cup. However, three of Morocco's previous six international matches have finished in goalless draws, two of which were at the World Cup against Croatia and Spain, so you can understand why we expect this game to conclude all square after the first 90 minutes.

Under 2.5 Goals

Portugal may have scored six goals in their last game against Switzerland, but we expect opportunities to be much more difficult to come by against a well-organized squad like Morocco. Four of the Africans' previous six matches have ended with under 2.5 goals, including five clean sheets.

Portugal has relied on goals to carry them through games so far, as they have only preserved one clean sheet, while this Morocco team has only surrendered one goal at the World Cup and has kept a free-flowing Spanish side at bay in the last 16.

Morocco vs Portugal Best Tips From Betimate

• Pick: To score in both halves — Portugal only

While the overall goal of this tournament has been to reach halftime without conceding, Portugal goes for it immediately away. So far, they have only failed to produce 0.5 xG in the first half once, against Uruguay in the group stage, despite scoring first-half goals in each of their past two games. Portugal will want a quick start to break Morocco out of their shell, lest they fall into the same trap as Spain later in the game.

Morocco vs Portugal Best Tips From Betimate

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Morocco vs Portugal Prediction: Probable lineups

Morocco’s possible starting lineup: Bounou (GK), Saïss, Mazraoui, Aguerd, Hakimi, Ziyech, Amrabat, Amallah, Ounahi, Boufal & En-Nesyri.

Portugal’s possible starting lineup: Costa (GK), Pepe, Guerreiro, Dias, Dalot, Carvalho, Otávio, Fernandes, Silva, Félix & Ramos.