A Morocco side full of talent this morning head into the World Cup full of optimism for their meeting with Croatia.
Three months before the finals in Qatar, the Moroccan FA took the decision to replace Vahid Halilhodzic with Walid Regragui after months of tension between the former manager and star player, Hakim Ziyech.
In part, that change looks to be paying off. Unbeaten in their last four games, Ziyech is stepping up to the plate, while Achraf Hakimi and Nayef Aguerd provide further quality.
FOLLOW MOROCCO VS CROATIA LIVE HERE!
Still, first up for the Atlas Lions is the unenviable task of playing 2018’s beaten finalists, Croatia. Manager Zlatko Dalic has a settled side still spearheaded by Luka Modric and a midfield plenty of other contenders would be jealous of, with Josip Sutalo and Borna Sosa bringing a fresh feel to the squad.
Striking options remain following the retirement of Mario Mandzukic but few would doubt their quality.
Date, kick-off time and venue
The World Cup group game is scheduled for a 10am GMT kick-off time today, Wednesday November 23, 2022.
Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor will host.
Where to watch Morocco vs Croatia
TV channel: The game will be broadcast free-to-air on ITV1 with coverage starting at 9am GMT.
Live stream: The ITV Hub will offer a free live stream.
LIVE coverage: Follow all of the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog.
Morocco vs Croatia team news
Aguerd has recovered from his injury picked up in preseason at West Ham in a big boost to Morocco’s hopes.
Croatia, meanwhile, have no fresh injury concerns as things stand, with Mateo Kovacic making his return for Chelsea in the build-up to the tournament.
Morocco vs Croatia prediction
A very difficult game for Morocco, but they have certainly have the quality to hurt a Croatia team slow in places.
A 1-1 draw.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Three players were sent off and Morocco came from two goals down before losing on penalties in their only previous meeting, in the Hassan II Trophy match back in 1996.
Morocco vs Croatia latest odds
Morocco to win: 14/5
Draw: 11/5
Croatia to win: 23/20
