World Cup Forensics: Portugal vs Morocco
Last updated: Jun 20, 2018, 7:20AM | Published: Jun 20, 2018, 7:11AM.png?w=750)
Cristiano Ronaldo can do it all himself, but he's going to start needing some help from his Portuguese teammates as they get ready to take on Morocco in the second round of the group stage fixtures.
Morocco are hurting from a late own goal which gave Iran all three points in the first round of games and come into this game needing a win just as bad as Portugal do, which should create a more open contest than the Moroccans would like.
The problem for Morocco is that this plays right into Portugal's hands, as they are a team built around Cristiano Ronaldo and counter-attacking at a blistering pace.
Morocco dominated possessions against Iran with 68 percent of the play, but Portugal won't mind them having the ball so much if they want it. They'll happily hit them on the counter and it'll be interesting to see how Hervé Renard sets up his men.
He's already admitted it'll be hard to find a way to stop Ronaldo in particular, but if Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Gonçalo Guedes can make things happen to lighten his load it will be too much for Morocco to handle.
Andre Silva could return to the starting lineup with Gonçalo Guedes making way, whilst Joao Mario is also in contention for a starting spot. No changes are expected but it's handy for Portugal to have those options tactically. Morocco are expected to be unchanged from the team that took on Iran in the first round.
Morocco's best hope is to expose Portugal's ageing defence with creativity and pace, and in an open contest, you'd expect they'll get their chance to do so.
The Moroccans have every chance of causing an upset, but Portugal should be too strong for them and have the perfect gameplan for the sort of game that tonight will be.
Portugal to win and Cristiano Ronaldo to score yet again.
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