The Round of 16 comes to an end tonight as four teams battle it out for the final two quarterfinal spots. In the first kick-off, Morocco will take on one of the tournament favorites, Spain, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal face the Swiss to advance to the pre-quarter-finals.
Morocco vs Spain – 8:30 PM IST
The two teams will clash in the last round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Tuesday as surprise package Morocco will take on La Rosa, who have faltered in their last two matches after a strong start.
Spain finished second in Group E, despite opening their account by beating Costa Rica 7–0. Luis Enrique’s men then drew 1–1 against Germany and lost 2–1 to Japan to finish the group stage with just 4 points.
While the Europeans can still be counted on as favorites despite a slump in form, they will face Morocco, who topped Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium.
The last-place African team in the tournament is on an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, conceding just two goals during this period. It will be a historic match for the team as Regargui’s team will be the first Moroccan team to reach the quarter-finals.
The last time the two sides met at the FIFA World Cup was four years ago in Russia when they played out a 2-2 draw in the group stage.
Tonight’s match, to be played at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, at 8:30 PM IST, is expected to be a close encounter.
Portugal vs Switzerland – 12:30 am IST
Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar have all made it to the quarter-finals. The onus is now on Cristiano Ronaldo to join his fellow superstars as his Portugal team take on Switzerland.
Although there has been a dip in his form and fitness in recent matches, Ronaldo will still be in focus as he plays his final World Cup. Portugal has a good track record against Switzerland, having won four of the last five meetings between the sides.
However, the last time Switzerland won between the two teams was on 12 June in the UEFA Nations League. The Swiss won that game 1–0 and advanced into the match with a tense 3–2 victory. over Serbia.
Despite losing the final group game to South Korea 2–1, Portugal would still be favorites.
This match will be played at Lusail Stadium at 12:30 Indian time.
