Surprise quarter finalists Morocco continues their World Cup dream on Saturday afternoon against another Top 10 ranked nation when they play Portugal.After creating history in the last 16, beating the mighty Spain on penalties, Morocco became the first Arab nation to reach the quarter finals of the tournament.Many people had written off Morocco’s chances when they came up against Spain. But they showed a real resilience to their game, enduring an endless onslaught. Having 19% possession in the second half and only 15% during extra time, Morocco had to dig deep in order to progress – and that’s exactly what they did. Keeping a clean sheet against a side that scored 9 goals during the group stage.Portugal really turned up to the tournament in their last 16 tie against Switzerland. 2-0 up inside half an hour and ended the game as 6-1 winners! A hat-trick from 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos, announcing himself on the biggest stage of all. The Benfica striker will be full of confidence going into this one and will want to add to his tally.I would not be surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench again, with his nation looking a much more attacking threat without the countries all-time leading goal scorer.11 games unbeaten for Morocco now, giving them the confidence and belief to cause another upset. They won’t have fond memories of 2018 after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Portugal during the tournament in Russia.Having conceded just one in their last 8 games, shows how solid Morocco are defensively. I believe this will be a low scoring game (potentially going the distance) with Portugal having a lot more possession. It will come down to how clinical Portugal can be. If they are (as they were against Switzerland) they will win this tie.Bet Prediction: Portugal Win
