Bisnis.comJAKARTA – Belgium will be challenged by Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium as a continuation of the Group F World Cup 2022 World Cup on Sunday (27/11/2022) evening, starting at 8:00 p.m. WIB.

Morocco beat Belgium 4-1 in a friendly match in 2008, which was the last time they faced each other. At that time, Belgium had centre-back Jan Vertonghen and midfielder Axel Witsel who also defended Belgium in the 2022 World Cup.

Morocco felt the moment was not something that could not be repeated. At least they’re still the team that can’t be beaten even if it’s just a draw like they got from Croatia in their first match at the 2022 World Cup.

Belgium itself may not care about the past. On the other hand, coach Roberto Martinez will try to push his team to do even better than the team that only won 1-0 against Canada in their first match.

Martinez himself called his team’s performance against Canada the worst in six years as Belgium coach. He wants his side to be much better when they are challenged by Morocco in the second game of Group F at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday night. Martinez wants Belgium to hold the top 16 ticket as soon as possible.

“We have to step up our game,” Matinez said. “We didn’t win (against Canada) because of our usual talent and quality.”

To improve his team’s performance, Martinez believes that his team needs to be infused with new energy that not only boosts the team’s morale but also undermines the mentality of the opponent, and this new energy is Romelu Lukaku.

The striker, who has always been a terror to opponents, has returned to full training since being sidelined for an extended period since August due to thigh and hamstring problems.

But maybe Martinez doesn’t want to rush to install Lukaku as this player is more needed by Belgium in the Round of 16 to intimidate opponents into losing focus on the game.

It’s not just Belgium who are facing uncertainty over their star player, as Morocco are also worried about one of their key players after Noussair Mazraoui was left off the pitch in a game 0-0 draw against Croatia.

Coach Walid Reragui can only hope Mazraoui can quickly overcome his hip injury so he can start in time against Morocco.

The full-back performed so well against Croatia that Walid Reragui himself said he laid the foundation for the team which could mean a lot against Belgium later on.

“I’ve only been here two months and I’m proud of all the players. We’ll wait for the result against Belgium and then we’ll try to qualify for the round of 16 against Canada,” Reragugui said confidently.

Line-ups planned for Belgium against Morocco

Belgium: Thibaut Courtois ; Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Leander Dendoncker; Thomas Meunier, Amadou Onana, Axel Witsel, Yannick Carrasco; Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard; Michy Batshuayi

Morocco: Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saiss, Noussair Mazraoui; Azzedine Ounahi, Sofyan Amrabat, Selim Amallah; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal

Scenario of the match Belgium vs Morocco

Although Roberto Martinez is desperate for Romelu Lukaku to be available this weekend, Belgium’s top scorer may not be ready to start.

This made Michy Batshuayi a starter again in a spearhead position flanked by Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard on both attacking wings in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Batshuayi is the most ideal assistant for Lukaku as he has proven to be productive while defending the national team. Since his debut with the national team in 2015, he has made 49 appearances to produce 27 goals, an average of around one goal in two matches.

That’s not all, his goal against Canada in the Group F opener three days ago made it difficult for Roberto Martinez to eliminate Batshuayi.

Instead, he will be ready to bombard Morocco with the playmaking duo, de Bruyne and Hazard.

The presence of Axel Witsel and Youri Tielemans as midfield masters has made the Belgian attacking trio more comfortable against Morocco, who on paper are no stronger than Canada, who have dominated the World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf zone.

Roberto Martinez could line up two new holders on the defensive wing, namely Thomas Meunier on the right and Amadou Onana on the left. Meanwhile, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Leander Dendoncke continued to fill the three-man formation past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Martinez still has a number of substitutes who could make a big difference against Morocco, including Lois Openda and Leandro Trossard.

Meanwhile, Morocco will hand over the midfielder to Sofyan Amrabat again despite being shown a yellow card against Croatia.

Croatia’s successful draw is a guarantee that coach Walid Reragui won’t change Morocco’s starting XI.

He will continue to pair centre-back duo Romain Saiss and Nayef Aguerd with two full-backs, each Achraf Hakimi on the right and Noussair Mazraoui on the left to protect Yassine Bounou who is under the Moroccan goal.

Croatia are struggling to break into this Moroccan defensive quartet and it’s likely that Belgium will also face a similar situation unless they add more creativity both in midfield and on both wings.

But before considering going there, Belgium must be careful not to leave room for the Moroccan trident composed of Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri and Sofiane Boufal who often disturb opponents as when they faced Croatia there three days ago.

Results of the confrontations between Belgium and Morocco:

Team Belgium vs Morocco

Belgium

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg)

Defenders: Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Toby Alderweireld (Royal Antwerp), Wout Faes (Leicester), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Timothy Castagne (Leicester).

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester), Amadou Onana (Everton), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Leander Dendoncker (Aston Villa), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) ), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund).

Forwards: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Charles De Ketelaere (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Brighton), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Michy Batshuayi (Fenerbahce), Lois Openda (Lens).

Morocco

Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca).

Defenders: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United), Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Achraf Dari (Stade Brest), Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Romain Saiss (Besiktas).

Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Selim Amallah (Standard Liège), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria).

Forwards: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique de Marseille), Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea).

Important statistics Belgium vs Morocco:

Belgium and Morocco first met in the 1994 World Cup. Belgium won 1-0 in the group stage match. Five years later, 4-0 friendly victory in Liège. On the other hand, in 2008, Morocco won 4-1 in a friendly in Brussels.

Belgium have topped the FIFA rankings since September 2018 shortly after finishing third at that year’s World Cup in Russia. But in March this year, his post was ousted by Brazil,

Axel Witsel made his debut, while Jan Vertonghen made his seventh appearance as Morocco beat Belgium 4-1 in a friendly in Brussels in March 2008. Both players have now earned more than 100 caps for the Belgium.

In the Moroccan team, there are four players born in Belgium, including Bilal El Khannouss and Anass Zaroury who defended the Belgian national junior team. The other two are Selim Amallah and Ilias Chair.

2022 World Cup Group F standings:

Score prediction for Belgium vs Morocco:

Score Belgium vs Morocco: 0-1

Score Belgium vs Morocco: 1-1

Score Belgium vs Morocco: 2-1

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