Morocco are facing Spain in the round of 16, Morocco are the last hope for the African continent after all the African teams have been eliminated in the world stage competition.
Morroco are coming into this match on a high, after winning Group F with 7 points, with no defeat while Spain were out of the competition at some point but in the end, managed to clinch the second spot in group E to qualify for the knockout stage.
Here we look at the players who will make the difference for their teams:
Youssef En – Nesyri – Morocco
If there’s a player who’s familiar with Spanish football, it’s Youssef En-Nesyri. He spent his entire career in Spain, playing over 150 matches in La Liga.
Youssef made his first international debut at the age of 18 in 2016 and never looked back, he is making his second FIFA World Cup appearance, as he was part of the squad that went to represent Morocco in Russia four years ago.
The Moroccan superstar scored in their last match against Canada, and he is one of the key players coming into the last 16 fixture against Spain.
Hakim Ziyech – Morocco
After missing the African Cup of Nations, Ziyech came as a force to be reckoned with for Morocco in this year’s FIFA World Cup.
The Chelsea skilful winger was originally eligible to play for the Netherlands or Morocco at the international level but chose to represent the Moroccan national team.
Ziyech scored the first goal in their last match against Canada in the 4th minute and has played an instrumental role in taking the team into the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Alvaro Morata – Spain
Morata has scored in all of Spain’s group-stage matches, he has 3 goals so far in the World Cup only Kylian Mbappe is ahead of him with 5 goals.
The Spanish goal poacher will be a key player for the Red Fury considering that they almost missed the knockout stage, and he is one player who knows the importance of scoring goals after advancing through by goal difference.