Morocco vs. Portugal Prediction: 2022 World Cup Quarterfinal Odds

Daniel Coyle
December 7, 2022

The Atlas Lions shocked heavily favoured Spain with a stunning victory on penalties in Tuesday’s round of 16 action, extending their current unbeaten streak to nine matches across all competitions. Portugal return to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006 after rolling to an easy 6-1 victory over Switzerland.

Morocco vs. Portugal Quarterfinal Betting

Portugal -174
Draw +298
Morocco +435

Portugal have emerged as heavy -167 favourites to claim victory in 90 minutes, and sport short -442 odds of advancing to the semi-finals at Qatar 2022, while Morocco trail as +441 underdogs to earn the win in regulation, and +274 longshots to advance. The odds of these two teams being knotted after 90 minutes are pegged at +263, while -147 odds favour the total going UNDER 2.5.

Saturday morning’s matchup at Al Thumama Stadium marks the third all-time meeting between these teams, with both previous clashes coming at the World Cup. Portugal edged Morocco 1-0 in group stage action four years, but it was the Atlas Lions who rolled to a 3-1 victory in group stage action at the 1986 World Cup, which vaulted them into the knockout stage while ending Portugal’s championship hopes that year. In addition to being big favourites in Saturday’s contest, Portugal also sit well ahead of Morocco as a +615 wager to raise the trophy this year, while the Moroccans lead only Croatia as +2973 longshots.

Morocco

The Atlas Lions have emerged as the Cinderella story in Qatar after finishing atop Group F table with a 2-1-0 record, and following up with Tuesday’s upset victory over Spain. The team has carried over the stellar defensive play that has marked their performance this year, with the only goal they have allowed through four tournament matches resulting from an own goal in a narrow 2-1 win over Canada. Overall, Morocco have kept clean sheets on seven occasions during their steady 7-2-0 win-draw-loss run across all competitions, outscoring opponents by a 13-2 margin over that stretch. However, goals have been somewhat rare since they arrived in Qatar, with the team tallying just four markers through four contests. Fortunately for this team, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has emerged as their biggest star at the World Cup. “Bono” sealed the Atlas Lions’ win over Spain by stopping all three shots he faced during Tuesday’s penalty shootout, and has now allowed just two total goals over his past eight appearances in the Moroccan net.

Portugal

Portugal put the remaining teams in this year’s tournament on notice with an offensive explosion in Tuesday’s win over the Swiss. With Goncalo Ramos leading the charge, the Seleção marched out to a 2-0 lead in just over 30 minutes, and outshot Switzerland by a 15-10 overall margin while waltzing to an easy 6-1 victory. Ramos seized the team lead in goalscoring with his three-goal performance in the win. The talented 21-year-old striker has now potted seven goals in his past nine outings with Portugal’s senior and U21 squads, and has emerged as an intriguing +1306 dark horse to claim Golden Boot honours as the top goal-getter at this year’s tournament. Conversely, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was held off the scoresheet for the third time in as many outings, and has fallen off the pace as a +2100 bet on the Golden Ball odds. However, the scoring depth on this team has made upn for CR7’s disappointing numbers, with eight different Portuguese players finding the back of the net. However, after enjoying favourable matchups in their first four tournament contests, Portugal faces a massive challenge to solve the stingy defense played by a Moroccan squad that has quickly come of age, and worthy of a value bet.