Will Batshuayi step back into the breach?
The Europeans are favourites to win their second group match against Morocco and you can read our current Belgium Morocco betting tips below! The North Africans are taking part in a World Cup for the second time in a row
The Moroccans have only managed this feat once before, at the 1994 and 1998 finals, and they also recorded a respectable draw against runners-up Croatia in their opener.
The Belgians, for their part, started the tournament with a comfortable win over Canada, although the three points were undeserved due to a better performance by their opponents. The Belgian national team is also about to play its 50th game at a World Cup.
Only eleven other nations have reached this milestone and only two lost the anniversary match (8-1-2). For the upcoming match at the al-Thumama Stadium in Doha between Belgium and Morocco, the forecast is for Michy Batshuayi to score again for the “Rode Duivels”.
Belgium – Statistics & current form
Belgium recorded a 1-0 win over Canada in their opener, but Spanish coach Roberto Martinez’s side had to work hard for that success. This was mainly due to the very convincing performance of their opponents, who played very well over 90 minutes.
Furthermore, it was noticeable that Romelu Lukaku is sorely missed in attack. The top scorer in the country’s history is also unlikely to be fit for Morocco. The medical department’s current plan is for “Big Rom” to play at most in the final group match against Croatia.
Will the favourites win by a narrow margin again?
For this reason, it is also possible to predict a narrow victory for the “Diables Rouges” in the clash between Belgium and Morocco with a difference of one goal. Likewise, bets on no more than two goals in the course of the match are interesting.
This is supported by the fact that Morocco’s goalless draw against Croatia was defensively convincing and Belgium also managed to keep a clean sheet despite the storming run of the Canadians. However, Kevin de Bruyne had room for improvement in the match against Canada.
The redhead delivered a mediocre game by his standards, although he did create four chances, the most on Belgium’s side. However, given his undoubted class as an assist provider, KDB is now expected to perform better again.
After all, he has created no fewer than 79 goal-scoring chances for Belgium at major tournaments since the 2014 World Cup – 33 more than any other Red Devils player!
Courtois remains a bench in goal
Furthermore, Thibaut Courtois once again proved his exceptional quality as a goalkeeper in his debut at the 2022 World Cup. The 30-year-old, who was named “best goalkeeper” at the last World Cup, saved a penalty against the Canucks and secured the victory for his team with several saves.
His strong performances can also be seen regularly in the Champions League. As Real Madrid keeper, he has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper since the start of the season before last – his “Expected” value is an impressive 7.2. Belgium can also take heart from the fact that they have never lost to an African team at a World Cup (3-1-0).
Predicted line-up of Belgium:
Courtois – Dendoncker – Alderweireld – Vertonghen – Tielemans – Witsel – Hazard – Castagne – Carrasco – Batshuayi – de Bruyne
Last matches played by Belgium:
World Cup Group F
24/11/2022 – Belgium 1 – 0 Canada
Friendlies
18/11/2022 – Belgium 1 – 2 Egypt
UEFA Nations League A Grp. 4
26/09/2022 – Netherlands 1 – 0 Belgium
23/09/2022 – Belgium 2 – 1 Wales
15/06/2022 – Poland 0 – 1 Belgium
Morocco – Statistics & current form
Morocco can be satisfied with their start in Group F. Coach Walid Regragui’s team earned a deserved 0-0 draw against Croatia as underdogs, with Sofyan Amrabat playing a convincing six in front of the defence and guaranteeing defensive stability throughout.
However, the match also brought bad news for the 22nd-placed team in the FIFA world rankings. The powerful defender Noussair Mazraoui was seriously injured and could not finish the duel with the Croats.
The FC Bayern Munich player will now also not play against Belgium, which means that Morocco’s defence must be considered weakened. On the offensive side, hopes are once again pinned on Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech.
Although the ex-Ajax Amsterdam player also scored in the last test match against Georgia (3:0) before the World Cup, he has mainly been a bench player for the Blues from London this season. From this perspective, he clearly lacks competitive practice.
Important forces in the attack look out of form
Furthermore, fellow striker Youssef En-Nesyri is in a crisis of form. The striker has yet to mark a goal for Sevilla in La Liga this season. On top of that, striker Youssef El Arabi has a poor seasonal record with Olympiakos Piraeus.
Just two goals in twelve league games is not a satisfactory return for him, as El Arabi has always had a double-digit tally in the final tally in the last three seasons at the record champions of Greece.
Predicted Morocco line-up:
Bono – Attiat-Allal – Saiss – Aguerd – Hakimi – Amrabat – Amallah – Boufal – Ounahi – En-Nesyri – Ziyech
Last matches played by Morocco:
World Cup Group F
23/11/2022 – Morocco 0 – 0 Croatia
Friendlies
17/11/2022 – Morocco 3 – 0 Georgia
28/09/2022 – Paraguay 0 – 0 Morocco
24/09/2022 – Morocco 2 – 0 Chile
Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier Gr. K
14/06/2022 – Liberia 0 – 2 Morocco
Belgium – Morocco Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
Belgium suffered a clear defeat in the “most recent” direct duel in 2008. The test match ended with a 1:4.
However, it was the first defeat for the Belgians in this pairing: Morocco had previously recorded two defeats without scoring a goal of their own. These were a 4-0 defeat in a test match in 1999 and a 1-0 defeat in the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Although these duels between Belgium and Morocco do not influence the current betting, a Belgian victory again seems quite likely.
Belgium – Morocco Tip
In the clash between Belgium and Morocco, the odds played include a goal by Michy Batshuayi on the side of the Belgian selection. The striker is usually the ‘wild card’ for Belgium, but with Lukaku currently out, the ex-BVB player is now part of the starting eleven. In the recent win against Canada, he repaid that faith in him with the decisive goal to make it 1-0.
Furthermore, Batshuayi is basically in a strong form. With his current club-level employers Fenerbahce in the Turkish Süper Lig, he has already scored five goals in just seven appearances this season, and three goals in six games in the Europa League.
This confirmed his already very good performances from last season when the 29-year-old, then still with Besiktas, delivered a double-digit goal haul in league action.
The opening goal against Canada will have given him plenty of confidence, so Batshuayi looks set to score again in his 50th international for Belgium.
He has also been a reliable player for the national team this year, scoring in half of the six Nations League matches! Between Belgium and Morocco, the corresponding betting odds are our No. 1 choice.
