The match is a must-win for both teams as Portugal's win multiply their chances at reserving a berth for the next stage while a loss for Morocco will mean they would virtually exit the tournament.
Match preview Portugal Vs Morocco : Portugal will once again look at their talisman striker and captain Cristiano Ronaldo to power them to a win when they clash today against 41st ranked Morocco in the second match in Group B of the FIFA World Cup 2018 here at the Luzhniki Stadium. Their trust isn't misplaced either with Ronaldo looking in red-hot form, first in the final stages of the Champions League and then, more pertinently, in their World Cup opener match against Spain when he scored a brilliant hat-trick to earn his team a valuable draw. But then again, Portugal is not just a one-man team with other players like Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva able to single-handedly turn the fortunes of a match. If Portugal win today's match, they'd stand a good chance to advance from the group stage.
On the other hand, Morocco, who stage at the bottom of group B, will virtually exit the tournament if they fail to win today's clash, having lost to Saudi Arabia after conceding an own-goal late in the match despite having dominated for the better half of the match.
Head-to-head: Morocco defeated Portugal 3-1 in their only previous encounter in the group stage of the 1986 World Cup. It was Morocco's first-ever win at the tournament while Portugal's only defeat in the World Cup against the African opposition.
When and where to watch:
The match will be telecasted live in English on SONY TEN 2, in Hindi on SONY TEN 3 and in Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu on SONY ESPN.
Time: 5.30 PM IST
For live streaming, the match can be streamed at sonyliv.com
Portugal 23-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes , Beto , Rui Patricio
Defenders: Bruno Alves , Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Mario Rui , Pepe , Raphael Guerreiro , Ricardo Pereira , Ruben Dias
Midfielders: Adrien Silva , Bruno Fernandes , Joao Mario , Joao Moutinho, Manuel Fernandes , William Carvalho
Forwards: Andre Silva , Bernardo Silva , Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins , Goncalo Guedes, Ricardo Quaresma
Formation and tactics: Portugal started their last match in a 4-4-2 with Goncalo Guedes preferred over Andre Silva to partner Ronaldo. Patricio kept the goal while Soares, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro lined up in defence. Bernardo Silva, Ricardo Carvalho, Joao Moutinho, and Bruno Fernandes manned the defence.
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