MY ACCOUNT
– Eliminated Canada may give a few youngsters a start as they look ahead to 2026
– Morocco will be going full throttle as they attempt to book their place in the round of 16
– Recommended bet: Morocco to win
Canada have earned plenty of praise but zero points in Qatar, meaning they will fly home at the conclusion of the group stage.
Energetic and cohesive but short of technical quality, the Canadians are excellent in harrying opponents but not so good at hurting them with their final ball often lacking.
They now face a Morocco side who have everything to play for following a pair of impressive, controlled performances that have brought a 0-0 draw against Croatia and a 2-0 defeat of Belgium.
The Atlas Lions now need only a point to progress but will surely be looking to take all three to send them into the knockout stages on a high.
Team news
Canada manager John Herdman has a fully fit squad to choose from but may opt to make some changes given his team can no longer qualify.
With an eye on preparing for their co-hosted 2026 World Cup, Herdman may opt to drop veteran centre-back Steven Vitoria and 39-year-old midfielder Atiba Hutchinson in order to give a couple of younger players some World Cup experience.
Morocco manager Walid Regragui has a few concerns over key players but will be hopeful that all three are available.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had to withdraw minutes before kick-off against Belgium after suffering from dizziness but should return for this clash.
Full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui have both been carrying knocks from their opening match against Croatia but should also be fit enough to start.
The stats
Canada have won only one of their last five games – a friendly victory over Japan – and have lost to Uruguay 2-0, Belgium 1-0 and Croatia 4-1 in that run.
While the Canadians were impressive on home soil in qualifying, they struggled away from home. Herdman’s side beat only El Salvador and Honduras and lost to Panama and Costa Rica, drawing their other three away games in the Concacaf section.
Morocco will be confident of getting the point they need against Les Rouges as they are unbeaten in their last seven matches and have kept clean sheets in each of their last six – including against European heavy hitters Belgium and Croatia.
Prediction
Canada were hugely unlucky not to get anything from their opening Group F clash against Belgium but subsequent results have shown that Belgium are in worse shape than most realised.
It was Morocco who highlighted Belgium’s vulnerabilities – shutting them down before opening Roberto Martinez’s side up on the break to earn a richly deserved 2-0 win.
That impressive victory arrived on the back of an assured 0-0 draw against a fine Croatia side who went on to thoroughly outclass Canada in their second Group F outing.
Those performances and their recent defensive record suggest Morocco have more than enough quality and composure to get the better of Canada and earn a victory that will see them into the knockout stages.
Adding under 0.5 Canada goals to any BetBuilder selection looks a sensible approach but the best bet for the match is to simply back Morocco – the Atlas Lions are available at 11/10 with LiveScore Bet.
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